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

After centuries of dissection, microscopy and medical imaging, it seems reasonable to assume the work is done.

From Science Daily • Jun. 21, 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 electron microscopy, they found that the iron-rich macrophages sit close to nerve fibers.

From Science Daily • May 31, 2026

The team also used the extreme localization of the narwhal-shaped wavefunctions to create a new near-field scanning optical microscopy technique called the singular optical microscope.

From Science Daily • May 21, 2026

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

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson