camera
- 01 A1 Beginner
a piece of equipment you use to take photographs or record video.
an optical instrument used to record images or video, either on film or digitally.
Simple“She pointed her camera at the sunset to take a beautiful photo.”
In context“The professional photographer upgraded to a high-resolution digital camera to capture finer details in her landscape portraits.”
Synonymscamcorderdigicam - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
the position from which you see the action in a video game.
the virtual viewpoint or perspective through which a player observes a three-dimensional digital environment.
Simple“You can move the camera to see what is behind the character.”
In context“The game's dynamic camera automatically adjusts its angle during combat to ensure the player maintains a clear view of all enemies.”
Synonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
a judge's private office or a meeting held away from the public.
a judge's private chamber; frequently used in the legal phrase 'in camera' to describe proceedings held in private.
Simple“The lawyers met with the judge in camera to discuss the secret evidence.”
In context“The witness requested to testify in camera to protect their identity from the media and the general public.”
UsageCommonly appears in the prepositional phrase 'in camera' to mean 'in private'.
Usage camera system · camera traps
Learned borrowing from Latin camera (“chamber or bedchamber”), from Ancient Greek καμάρα (kamára, “anything with an arched cover, a covered carriage or boat, a vaulted chamber, a vault”), of Old Iranian origin, from Proto-Iranian kamarā- (“something curved”), from kamárati, from Proto-Indo-Iranian kmárati, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European kh₂em- (“to bend, curve”). Doublet of chamber. (device): A clipping of camera obscura, from New Latin camera obscura (“dark chamber”), because the first cameras used a pinhole and a dark room.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.