microscopic
52
4.8
- adjective
- /ˌmaɪkrəˈskɑːpɪk/
:
microscópico
- These microscopic particles were found in the dust collected from the ancient cave.
- a microscopic organism
- microscopic particles
- on a microscopic scale
And this is the the the instrument where billions of microscopic bubbles are created.
- And this is the the the instrument where billions of microscopic bubbles are created.
- These are microscopic bugs in our intestines.
- Your whole body is made of microscopic cells.
- So in effect, each person is a planet for these microscopic beings.
- Not little green men, but microscopic life below the surface or at the surface.
- What that means is, you know, down here at the microscopic level, we know that we're not done.
- So you don't have to get way down, super microscopic, but you can't see them with the naked eye.
- You can't even see the Pearl when you Swatch it, it's that microscopic, but it has such a nice glow to it.
- A mere fraction, in fact, of a single nanogram, nothing more than just a handful of microscopic sized cells.
- You replied the microscopic creatures in the clouds.
Examples
-
Those are the cyanobacteria, microscopic photosynthetic plants.
-
The water explodes with organisms at the bottom of the food chain: microscopic algae and phytoplankton.
Academic text (1993) -
See, all of us are made of little microscopic units of life called cells.
-
What that means is, you know, down here at the microscopic level, we know that we're not done.
-
There are also some microscopic soil particles.
-
In addition to the trace evidence already mentioned, we found microscopic pieces of insects.
Fiction book (1994) -
These are microscopic bugs in our intestines.
-
The cardiac toxin she had used was so powerful that only a microscopic amount had been needed.
Fiction book (1995) -
Matter is made-up of one or many microscopic building blocks called atoms.
-
When it reproduces, it will cast millions of microscopic spores into the air.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
So small it can fit in your hand
101
3.6
Very small in size compared with the usual type
37
4.4
Very small in size or amount
1
4.3
Very small and easy to miss
1
5.2
Something that is very small, like tiny particles or thin fibers
So small that you can only see it with a microscope
Extremely small and hard to see
Compounds
- Specialized
Study of the tiny parts inside tissues and organs using a microscope
- Specialized
A very small glass piece that makes tiny things look bigger in a microscope
How Small
Surface Forms
Morphology
microscopic = microscope (transparent) = micro + scope + ic
The adjective is formed regularly from 'microscope' with '-ic', and the small-size sense is a direct extension of that base.
Etymology
The word microscopic comes from Greek parts micro- 'small' and -scopic 'to look', the same idea as in microscope, an instrument for looking at very small things, so microscopic means 'so small you need a microscope to see it'.