Dictionary.com

microscope

[ mahy-kruh-skohp ]
/ ˈmaɪ krəˌskoʊp /

noun

an optical instrument having a magnifying lens or a combination of lenses for inspecting objects too small to be seen or too small to be seen distinctly and in detail by the unaided eye.
(initial capital letter)Astronomy. the constellation Microscopium.

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Origin of microscope

From the New Latin word mīcroscopium, dating back to 1650–60. See micro-, -scope

Words nearby microscope

microreproduction, microrespirometer, micros., microsatellite, micro-scooter, microscope, microscopic, microscopic anatomy, Microscopium, microscopy, microsecond
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for microscope

British Dictionary definitions for microscope

microscope
/ (ˈmaɪkrəˌskəʊp) /

noun

an optical instrument that uses a lens or combination of lenses to produce a magnified image of a small, close object. Modern optical microscopes have magnifications of about 1500 to 2000See also simple microscope, compound microscope, ultramicroscope
any instrument, such as the electron microscope, for producing a magnified visual image of a small object
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

Medical definitions for microscope

microscope
[ mī′krə-skōp′ ]

n.

An optical instrument that uses a lens or a combination of lenses to produce magnified images of small objects, especially of objects too small to be seen by the unaided eye.
An instrument, such as an electron microscope, that uses electronic, acoustic, or other processes to magnify objects.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for microscope

microscope
[ mī′krə-skōp′ ]

Any of various instruments used to magnify small objects that are difficult or impossible to observe the naked eye.♦ Optical microscopes use light reflected from or passed through the sample being observed to form a magnified image of the object, refracting the light with an arrangement of lenses and mirrors similar to those found in telescopes. See also atomic force microscope electron microscope field ion microscope.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for microscope

microscope

A device that produces a magnified image of objects too small to be seen with the naked eye. Such objects are thus called “microscopic.” The microscope is widely used in medicine and biology. Common microscopes use lenses; others, such as electron microscopes, scan an object with electrons, x-rays, and other radiation besides ordinary visible light.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.