*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of LIDAR

Acronym of light detection and ranging. Synchronically also analyzable as blend of light + radar. The lowercase form (lidar) is by anacronymic evolution.

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In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

Acronym of light detection and ranging.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Acronym of light detection and ranging. Synchronically also analyzable as blend of light + radar. The lowercase form (lidar) is by anacronymic evolution.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "acronym",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "light detection and ranging"
      },
      "expansion": "Acronym of light detection and ranging"
    },
    {
      "name": "glossary",
      "args": {
        "1": "synchronic",
        "2": "Synchronically"
      },
      "expansion": "Synchronically"
    },
    {
      "name": "blend",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "light",
        "3": "radar",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "blend of light + radar"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "light",
      "light#English"
    ],
    [
      "detection",
      "detection#English"
    ],
    [
      "and",
      "and#English"
    ],
    [
      "ranging",
      "ranging#English"
    ],
    [
      "light",
      "light#English"
    ],
    [
      "radar",
      "radar#English"
    ],
    [
      "lidar",
      "lidar#English"
    ],
    [
      "anacronym",
      "anacronym"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Acronym of light detection and ranging."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "acronym",
        "alt-of"
      ],
      "recordId": "1f3c0e7d105ca972ef1bde235b6a5e8dc3c8d2e0d2a9453c3be757264e090807",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d450ed0249a6424bc1cae0a6d985987aa3d14dc80ab0164673d0437dd2706a60",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 470021
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for LIDAR →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-TElEQVI