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Added 9 October 2026

radar

/ˈɹeɪdɑː/ noun

Coined: a coined word, by Lieutenant-Commander Samuel Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about radar at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Measuring instrument in which the echo of a pulse of microwave radiation is used to detect and locate distant objects.

Origin

The noun is derived from RADAR by anacronymic evolution. RADAR is an acronym of ra(dio) d(etection) a(nd) r(anging) which was coined by Lieutenant-Commander Samuel M. Tucker and Lieutenant-Commander F. R. Furth of the United States Navy in November 1940. The verb is probably derived from the noun.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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