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

Derived 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

Next, the team used advanced light-sheet microscopy to capture detailed three-dimensional images of entire mice.

From Science Daily • May 23, 2026

Two-photon microscopy provided detailed images of living tissue, while microcomputed tomography offered high-resolution 3D views of entire organs.

From Science Daily • May 1, 2026

Using environmental transmission electron microscopy, they observed bulk oxygen spillover in Ru/rutile-TiO2 catalysts for the first time.

From Science Daily • Apr. 21, 2026

Using cryo-electron microscopy, the team was able to observe how DHX29 physically interacts with the 80S ribosome, the cellular machinery responsible for protein production.

From Science Daily • Apr. 9, 2026

Micrographia really did mark the moment when microscopy came of age as a scientific discipline.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin