French word

caméra

Pronunciation

IPA/kameʁa/

Meaning

  • feminine nouncamera

Example

J'ai acheté une caméra.

I bought a camera.

Illustration for caméra (camera)

More examples

Mon téléphone a une caméra intégrée.

My phone has a built-in camera.

Core concept

A light-recording device in which a lens forms an image for storage as a photograph or video.

Common phrases

  • caméra intégrée

    built-in camera

  • caméra de poche

    pocket camera

Similar words

appareil photo: A device designed to take still photographs.
smartphone: A mobile device that can also take photos and videos.

Definition in French

Appareil optique qui saisit des images par une lentille et les enregistre, en photo ou en vidéo.

Word origin

Caméra derives from Latin camera, 'chamber', borrowed from Greek kamara; the term passed from camera obscura to the device that records images.

Usage tips

  • French commonly uses caméra for filming and video surveillance, while appareil photo usually denotes a still camera and caméscope a home video camera.

Other meanings

  • video cameranoun
  • security cameranoun

Word lists with this word