reticule

/ˌrɛdəˈkjul/

Other forms: reticules

If you've ever peered through a telescope, you've seen a reticule, though you probably didn't know that's what you were looking at. It's the network of tiny lines that make up a sighting device's eyepiece.

The crosshairs of a gun's scope or sight — which help a marksman aim when shooting — are one kind of reticule. Others exist, whether they can be clearly seen or not, in just about any instrument you look through, whether it's a telescope or a microscope. Another way to spell it is reticle, but either way it comes from the Latin word reticulatus, "having a net-like pattern," itself from reticulum, "little net."

Definitions of reticule

1. noun

   a network of fine lines, dots, cross hairs, or wires in the focal plane of the eyepiece of an optical instrument
   synonyms: crosshairs, graticule, reticle

   type of:

   network

   a system of intersecting lines or channels
2. noun

   a woman's drawstring handbag; usually made of net or beading or brocade; used in 18th and 19th centuries
   type of:

   bag, handbag, pocketbook, purse

   a container used for carrying money and small personal items or accessories (especially by women)