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microscope

microscope

102 3.6
A tool that makes very small things look much larger to see details
  • noun
  • /ˈmaɪkrəˌskoʊp/
translation icon : microscopio
  • Take a look at the microscope.
  • microscope slide
  • microscope lens
  • microscope image

Doesn't make sense that with whatever microscope you're using, you cannot see detail.

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Examples

  • We can run some tests on it and look at it under the microscope.

  • When you look at the cells under a microscope, their structures become clear and detailed.

  • I looked through this microscope and I got images like this.

  • So we asked ourselves, what if we sent a microscope into space?

  • And I have this microscope which I bought.

  • I never could remember to keep both eyes open when I used a microscope, for instance.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Imagine the world that the microscope opened up to scientists and researchers in those early years.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The first time I looked in a microscope... that's when I knew I wanted to be a doctor.

  • Well, first, you'll need a microscope.

  • When surgical pathologists visit, we're prone to sit together over a two-headed microscope and look at slides.

    Fiction book (1996)

Synonyms

optical instrument
vsmicroscope
  • Specialized
1 4.1

A device with lenses or mirrors that helps you see things clearly

is a specific tool for enlarging tiny objects to view fine detail

Compounds

electron microscope
  • Specialized
6 4.3

A machine that uses electrons instead of light to make very large images of tiny things

light microscope
  • Specialized
1 4.1

A tool that uses light and lenses to make tiny things like cells look larger

dark-field microscope
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A microscope that makes tiny particles too small for an ordinary microscope appear bright on a dark background

microscope slide
  • Specialized
1 3.3

A small flat piece of glass that holds a thin sample for a microscope

operating microscope
  • Specialized
1 5.3

A microscope with two eyepieces used in surgery to see very small body parts

binocular microscope
  • Specialized
5.5

A microscope with two eyepieces for looking with both eyes

compound microscope
  • Specialized
3.9

A microscope with two lenses that uses light to make tiny things look larger

8.6

A microscope that uses electrons to show a material's surface in very small detail

microscope stage
  • Specialized
3.9

A flat platform on a microscope where you put a slide to look at it

monocular microscope
  • Specialized
6.5

A microscope with one eyepiece used with one eye

simple microscope
  • Specialized
4.2

A lens that uses light to make tiny things look bigger

How Powerful

electron microscope
  • Specialized
6 4.3
microscope
102 3.6
compound microscope
  • Specialized
3.9

Surface Forms

microscope singular
microscopes plural

Morphology

microscope = scope (semi-transparent) = micro + scope

The word is built from micro- meaning 'small' plus scope, but the instrument sense of scope is somewhat specialized.

Etymology

The word microscope comes from Greek parts micro- meaning 'small' and -scope meaning 'to look', and it is like telescope but for tiny things. So, a microscope is a tool that lets you 'see' very small details clearly.