Date
Meaning & History
Perhaps based on the English word kaleidoscope, coined in 1817 by its inventor, Sir David Brewster (1781-1868), from Greek kalos "beautiful" with eidos "shape" and the suffix scope (to resemble the word telescope); its literal meaning is "observer of beautiful forms".This name would literally mean "beautiful form", from simply the first two elements: kalos "beautiful" and eidos "form".