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Leeuwenhoek

American  
[ley-vuhn-hook, ley-y-wuhn-hook] / ˈleɪ vənˌhʊk, ˈleɪ ü wənˌhuk /
Or Leuwenhoek

noun

  1. Anton van 1632–1723, Dutch naturalist and microscopist.


Leeuwenhoek British  
/ ˈleːwənhuːk, ˈleɪvənˌhuːk /

noun

  1. Anton van (ˈɑntɔn vɑn). 1632–1723, Dutch microscopist, whose microscopes enabled him to give the first accurate description of blood corpuscles, spermatozoa, and microbes

"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

Leeuwenhoek Scientific  
/ lāvən-hk′ /
  1. Dutch naturalist and pioneer of microscopic research. He was the first to describe protozoa, bacteria, and spermatozoa. He also made observations of yeasts, red blood cells, and blood capillaries, and traced the life histories of various animals, including the flea, ant, and weevil.


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.

Ever since Antonie van Leeuwenhoek discovered the world of bacteria through a microscope in the late seventeenth century, humans have tried to look deeper into the world of the infinitesimally small.

From Science Daily

Despite living in the Dutch Republic during the 17th century, Leeuwenhoek's story could be mistaken for embodying the American Dream.

From Salon

Van Leeuwenhoek’s teeth were coated with a jellylike film containing billions of bacteria.

From New York Times

Dutch scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek made extraordinary observations of blood cells, sperm cells and bacteria with his microscopes.

From Scientific American

Far from recognizing that protozoa were different in character from larger organisms, Leeuwenhoek’s work seemed to imply that they were the same.

From Literature