kaleidoscope
Definitions
A tube containing mirrors and loose colored pieces that form symmetrical patterns when rotated and viewed through one end.
万花筒（内含镜片和松散彩色碎片的筒，转动并从一端观看时会形成对称图案）。
A constantly changing pattern or sequence of things.
千变万化的事物，瞬息万变的景象。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedkalos (Greek: beautiful) + eidos (Greek: form, shape) + scope (look) = 'an observer of beautiful forms.' The name describes exactly what you do with it: look at the lovely shifting shapes the mirrors create. The figurative sense follows naturally — anything endlessly varied and changing is a kaleidoscope.
Root scope still carries 4 more wordsWhy It Means This
The word is a tiny Greek phrase: kalos (beautiful) + eidos (form) + skopein (look) — a 'beautiful-form-viewer.' It was coined in 1817 for the new toy. Because the patterns never repeat and keep tumbling into new arrangements, the word slid into a figurative meaning: any scene or set of things that is dazzlingly varied and forever changing.
Common Collocations
- 1.kaleidoscope of colors色彩万花筒
- 2.kaleidoscope of emotions百感交集
- 3.kaleidoscope pattern万花筒图案
- 4.look through a kaleidoscope透过万花筒观看
Example Sentences
- 1.
As a child, I could stare into a kaleidoscope for hours, turning it slowly.
- 2.
The festival was a kaleidoscope of costumes, music, and dancing.
- 3.
Her novels present a kaleidoscope of shifting emotions and perspectives.