tripod

[trahy-pod] /ˈtraɪ pɒd/
noun
1.
a stool, table, pedestal, etc., with three legs.
2.
a three-legged stand or support, as for a camera or telescope.
3.
the oracular seat of the priestess of Apollo at Delphi.
Origin
1595-1605; < Latin tripod- (stem of tripūs) < Greek tripod- (stem of trípous) orig., three-footed. See tri-, -pod
Examples from the web for tripod
  • If you jam the tripod deep into the snow, it will push the legs apart so far that they might break.
  • If you pair one of these little cameras with a small, flexible tripod you'll be good to go.
  • Nevertheless, the agencies' business is built upon a rather shaky tripod.
  • Sturdy aluminum tripod provides excellent vibration suppression.
  • The magic arm can be bought as a kit that includes a tripod.
  • Keep a special eye out for a pesky poltergeist: rumor has it that he's knocked over a tripod or two.
  • Because the doll can be posed, she doubles as a pretty good tripod.
  • Telescoping feature of tripod legs makes height adjustments easy.
  • These accessories still come in the box, along with the tripod screw for mounting real cameras.
  • He has a four-by-five-inch view camera, a tripod and a large supply of patience.
British Dictionary definitions for tripod

tripod

/ˈtraɪpɒd/
noun
1.
an adjustable and usually collapsible three-legged stand to which a camera, etc, can be attached to hold it steady
2.
a stand or table having three legs
Derived Forms
tripodal (ˈtrɪpədəl) adjective
Word Origin
C17: via Latin from Greek tripod-, tripous three-footed, from tri- + pous foot
Word Origin and History for tripod
n.

c.1600, "three-legged vessel," from Latin tripus (genitive tripodis), from Greek tripous (genitive tripodos) "a three-legged stool or table," literally "three-footed," from tri- "three" (see tri-) + pous (genitive podos) "foot" (see foot).

Encyclopedia Article for tripod

any piece of furniture with three legs. The word can apply to a wide range of objects, including stools, tables, light stands, and pedestals. The tripod was very popular in ancient and classical times, largely because it was associated with religious or symbolic rites in the form of an altar, a sacrificial basin, or the most celebrated tripod of all, the seat at Delphi upon which the Pythian priestess sat to deliver the oracles of the god Apollo. Underlying the tripod's association with such rites was perhaps a mystical significance attached to the number three. The idea of three being united in one could very well have influenced the widespread use of the tripod in Christian liturgical furniture such as candlesticks.

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