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Glite Dictionary
🔬 A narrow radiation beam 🧪 A tiny support bar
microbeam

microbeam

7.9
A very narrow beam of energy used to study or treat tiny parts of cells
  • noun
  • /ˈmaɪkroʊbiːm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : microhaz
  • The researchers used a microbeam to target the cancerous cells with high precision.
  • x-ray microbeam

Examples

  • In her innovative surgery, the doctor employed a microbeam to minimize damage to surrounding tissues.

  • During the experiment, the scientists directed a microbeam of particles to examine the material's density.

  • Activating the microbeam.

    The Black Hole (1979)

  • Kinematic data were acquired with X-ray microbeam (Westbury, 1994).

    Academic text (2012)

  • Tongue-movement data were obtained from participants included in the x-ray microbeam (XRMB) dysarthria database, which was collected at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

    Academic text (2012)

Synonyms

particle beam
vsmicrobeam
  • Specialized
7 6.8

A narrow, focused stream of tiny particles like electrons used in science and medicine

is an even narrower form used for very precise scientific or medical work

How Narrow

microbeam
  • Specialized
7.9
beam
  • Specialized
275 3.4

Surface Forms

microbeam singular
microbeams plural

Morphology

microbeam = beam (transparent) = micro + beam

The meaning is directly compositional: micro- indicates small size, and beam retains its ordinary sense of a narrow ray or directed stream.

Etymology

Microbeam joins micro- meaning 'small', as in the word microscope, and beam, a common word for a ray of light. So a microbeam is a very small ray of radiation or particles used to target tiny areas in science and medicine.