microscopy

American  

[mahy-kros-kuh-pee, mahy-kruh-skoh-pee] / maɪˈkrɒs kə pi, ˈmaɪ krəˌskoʊ pi /

noun

1. the use of the microscope.

2. microscopic investigation.

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microscopy British  

/ maɪˈkrɒskəpɪ, maɪˈkrɒskəpɪst /

noun

1. the study, design, and manufacture of microscopes

2. investigation by use of a microscope

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Other Word Forms

• microscopist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of microscopy

First recorded in 1655–65; microscope + -y ³

Explanation

Microscopy is the field of using a special instrument to observe things that are otherwise too small to see. If you yearn to study amoebas or bacteria up close, you'll want to pursue microscopy! Microscopy is an area of scientific research that specializes in using microscopes. Both words are derived from the Greek roots mikros, "small," and skopein, "to examine." While microscopy is a technical field, if you make a habit of examining tiny things up close with the help of a microscope — drops of rainwater, an insect wing, your cat's fur — that's microscopy too.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

microscopy

To examine the material's properties, the researchers used molecular beam epitaxy together with low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy, allowing them to probe its electronic behavior with atomic level precision.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026

He later brought silk samples back to the University of Greifswald in Germany, where they were examined using advanced techniques including scanning electron microscopy.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026

Eventual analysis with scanning electron microscopy at the Canadian Museum of Nature allowed researchers to confirm it as a probable embolomere.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

Using two-photon microscopy, the researchers monitored activity inside the animals' brains as they reacted to this surprising outcome.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 8, 2026

Thus, for relief, Maurice had taken up interference microscopy to find a trick for weighing chromosomes.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson