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confocal

American  
[kon-foh-kuhl] / kɒnˈfoʊ kəl /

adjective

Mathematics.
  1. having the same focus or foci.


confocal British  
/ kɒnˈfəʊkəl /

adjective

  1. having a common focus or common foci

    confocal ellipses

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of confocal

First recorded in 1865–70; con- + focal

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The lab provides access to cutting-edge techniques such as light and electron microscopy, confocal imaging, molecular barcoding, and micro-CT scanning.

From Science Daily Nov. 2, 2025

The team also used confocal microscopy, a technique that allows for higher resolution images of certain sections of the artifacts.

From Washington Post Dec. 13, 2019

Point-scanning confocal microscopes produce sharp images of subcellular structures by scanning a tightly focused laser beam across a sample, exciting fluorescence in the sample pixel by pixel.

From Nature Nov. 25, 2019

He also invented the earliest confocal scanning microscope.

From BBC Jan. 26, 2016

The potential of such a shell at any internal point is constant, and the equipotential surfaces for external space are ellipsoids confocal with the ellipsoidal shell.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 3 "Electrostatics" to "Engis" by Various

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