tripod

noun

tri·​pod ˈtrī-ˌpäd 

1

: a three-legged stand (as for a camera)

2

: a stool, table, or altar with three legs

3

: a vessel (such as a cauldron) resting on three legs

tripod adjective

or tripodal

ˈtri-pə-dᵊl 

ˈtrī-ˌpä-

Examples of tripod in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

To photograph Saturday’s conjunction, Hunt recommends mounting a camera on a tripod and setting exposures for a few seconds. —John Meyer, The Denver Post, 29 Jan. 2025

The Details Behind the Shocking Case That Inspired Lifetime’s Mormon Mom Gone Wrong When Franke’s birthday came, Ruby gifted her a tripod and gave her a shoutout from the family’s 8Passenger channel. —Rachel Flynn, People.com, 29 Jan. 2025

The resulting arrangement made the cheese clumps stand out as dark blotches in the photographs taken with an iPhone mounted on a tripod. —Alexander Nazaryan, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025

In the attic, an antique William IV mahogany armchair sits next to an antique English mahogany tray top tripod table stool. —Troy J. McMullen, Architectural Digest, 17 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin tripod-, tripus, from Greek tripod-, tripous, from tripod-, tripous, adjective, three-footed, from tri- + pod-, pous foot — more at foot

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Kids Definition

tripod

noun

tri·​pod ˈtrī-ˌpäd 

1

: something (as a container or stool) resting on three legs

2

: a three-legged stand (as for a camera)

Medical Definition

tripod

noun

tri·​pod ˈtrī-ˌpäd 

: a bone having three processes