optical scanner
2
3.8
- noun
- /ˈɑptɪkəl ˈskænər/
- Specialized
:
escáner óptico
- Answers were scanned using an Opscan optical scanner.
- using an optical scanner
Examples
-
Low-tech paper ballots that the voter puts in the optical scanner themselves.
Blog text (28) -
At the office, staff used the optical scanner to digitize important paperwork for archiving.
-
I was told that possibly 60% of the voting machines in this election were changed to optical scanners.
Blog text (32) -
We also need to return to the very easy-to-use optical scanner.
Blog text (14) -
It is now possible for a computer to "read" a sheet of music by using an optical scanner and character recognition software.
Academic text (1997) -
The ballot definition used by the optical scanner came from the central tabulation system.
Blog text (4) -
For this presidential election, they've entered the 21st century with new optical scanners that read your paper ballot.
Blog text (28) -
The ballot definition used by the optical scanner was not synchronized with the central tabulation system.
Blog text (4) -
Like many other states, Florida has dumped ATM-like touch-screen voting machines in favor of old-fashioned paper ballots that voters mark with pencil and then feed into an optical scanner to register their selections.
Academic text (2008) -
The new optical scanner can read and convert photographs into digital files in seconds.
Synonyms
357
3.3
An electronic machine that detects information, for example radar or a device that makes digital pictures of papers
1
3.0
A machine that makes an electronic copy of a paper or photo for a computer
1
3.5
A portable device you move by hand to take a picture of a document or barcode
A machine that turns a paper picture or document into a computer file
How Fast
- Specialized
2
3.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and transparently derivable from 'optical' (related to light/vision) combined with 'scanner' (a device that digitizes or detects information); together they denote a device that reads images or text using optical/light-based methods. This adjective+noun composition follows normal English compounding and is cross-linguistically common in technical vocabulary, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Optical scanner comes from the image of a machine that 'sees' and copies a page: optical means light or sight, and a scanner moves across paper like a reading eye, shining light and capturing each line. So an optical scanner is a device that 'reads' printed text or pictures and turns them into digital form.