camera obscura
noun
cam·era ob·scu·ra ˈkam-rə-əb-ˈskyu̇r-ə 
ˈka-mə-rə-
: a darkened enclosure having an aperture usually provided with a lens through which light from external objects enters to form an image of the objects on the opposite surface
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Nights are lost to flitting thoughts or memories, like a camera obscura forcing me to sit through every triggering event of my life. 
Maybelle Morgan, refinery29.com, 11 Aug. 2022 Like a camera obscura of old times, Photolux Festival aims to display a clear and well-defined selection of work from the international photographic scene. Vogue, 27 Apr. 2022 Vera Lutter is an artist from Germany based in New York who is known for her projects using the camera obscura. New York Times, 22 Sep. 2021 The one-of-a-kind periscopic camera obscura was the only thing that the museum moved from its former location. BostonGlobe.com, 23 June 2021 The museum also houses the Niépce Heliograph, considered the earliest surviving photograph made with camera obscura, the archive of playwright Arthur Miller, and childhood writing from authors including Charlotte Brontë and David Foster Wallace. Meena Thiruvengadam, Travel + Leisure, 2 Mar. 2021 How these images were made: John Chiara built a large camera obscura, mounted it on a trailer, and drove it to various locations. Robert Kunzig, National Geographic, 13 Oct. 2020 Porter was a prolific inventor and is credited with dozens of inventions, including a flying ship, a portable camera obscura, a rotary plow, and more. Andrea Gawrylewski, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2020 Based on a design by Leonardo da Vinci, the camera obscura uses sunlight and mirrors to project 360-degree views of the surrounding beaches. Helen Carefoot, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2020 See More
Maybelle Morgan, refinery29.com, 11 Aug. 2022 Like a camera obscura of old times, Photolux Festival aims to display a clear and well-defined selection of work from the international photographic scene. Vogue, 27 Apr. 2022 Vera Lutter is an artist from Germany based in New York who is known for her projects using the camera obscura. New York Times, 22 Sep. 2021 The one-of-a-kind periscopic camera obscura was the only thing that the museum moved from its former location. BostonGlobe.com, 23 June 2021 The museum also houses the Niépce Heliograph, considered the earliest surviving photograph made with camera obscura, the archive of playwright Arthur Miller, and childhood writing from authors including Charlotte Brontë and David Foster Wallace. Meena Thiruvengadam, Travel + Leisure, 2 Mar. 2021 How these images were made: John Chiara built a large camera obscura, mounted it on a trailer, and drove it to various locations. Robert Kunzig, National Geographic, 13 Oct. 2020 Porter was a prolific inventor and is credited with dozens of inventions, including a flying ship, a portable camera obscura, a rotary plow, and more. Andrea Gawrylewski, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2020 Based on a design by Leonardo da Vinci, the camera obscura uses sunlight and mirrors to project 360-degree views of the surrounding beaches. Helen Carefoot, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
New Latin, literally, dark chamber
First Known Use
1716, in the meaning defined above