noun
Stanhope
STA-nuhp
noun
1
A light, open, two- or four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage with a high seat and no roof over the back.
"The gentleman arrived at the estate in a smart stanhope drawn by a single horse."
"Old photographs show the family posed beside their stanhope outside the manor house."
2
A simple one-piece pocket microscope, or a small optical viewer built around a similar lens, used to view tiny hidden images.
"The souvenir trinket held a stanhope lens revealing a miniature photograph of the seaside town."
How to Use Stanhope
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither an old-style open horse carriage, or a tiny novelty magnifying viewer hidden inside souvenirs and jewellery.
Word Forms
stanhopes plural, stanhopes plural
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The gentleman arrived at the estate in a smart _____ drawn by a single horse.
Etymology
Named after the Stanhope family; the carriage after an English design associated with the Earls of Stanhope, and the optical device after Charles, third Earl Stanhope, whose work inspired it.