Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
anomaloscope

anomaloscope

1 9.9
A machine that tests how people see colors to find color blindness
  • noun
  • /əˈnɑːməloʊˌskoʊp/
  • Specialized
: anomaloscopio
  • Researchers calibrated the anomaloscope before beginning the vision tests.

Examples

  • An anomaloscope can help detect red-green color blindness in patients.

  • The optometrist used an anomaloscope to assess the patient's color vision.

  • The anomaloscope is essential for diagnosing color blindness.

  • Many optometrists use an anomaloscope in their practice.

  • The doctor used an anomaloscope to determine if the patient had a color vision deficiency.

  • During the eye exam, she was asked to look through the anomaloscope to test her ability to distinguish colors.

  • Teachers sometimes utilize an anomaloscope to assess students for color blindness in science classes.

Surface Forms

anomaloscope singular
anomaloscopes plural

Morphology

anomaloscope = anomalous (opaque) = anomalo + scope

The word is a technical formation built on the combining form anomalo- plus -scope, but the specific meaning of a color-vision testing device is not directly predictable for an average learner.

Etymology

The word anomaloscope comes from Greek parts anomal- meaning 'irregular' (as in the common word anomaly) and -scope meaning 'to look' (as in telescope and microscope). So an anomaloscope is a tool to 'look' for irregularities in how people see color, which is why it is used to test color vision.