1. An optical toy consisting of a cylinder with vertical slits, containing a band of images on the inner surface; when spun, it creates the illusion of motion
   "The zoetrope was a popular pre-cinema animation device"
    
2. [archaic] A 19th-century optical toy consisting of a cylinder with a series of pictures on the inner surface that, when viewed through slits while rotating, produce the illusion of continuous motion
   "Children were fascinated by the moving images created by the zoetrope"

Derived forms: zoetropes

Encyclopedia: Zoetrope