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oscilloscope

[uh-sil-uh-skohp]
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noun Electricity.
  1. a device that gives a visual graph of amplitude versus time of a measured signal, as voltage or current.
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Origin of oscilloscope

First recorded in 1905–10; oscill(ate) + -o- + -scope
Related formsos·cil·lo·scop·ic [uh-sil-uh-skop-ik] /əˌsɪl əˈskɒp ɪk/, adjectiveos·cil·lo·scop·i·cal·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for oscilloscope

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • He sat in a dimly-lighted room, facing three oscilloscope screens.

    Pushbutton War

    Joseph P. Martino

  • Rick indicated a circle of white plastic, scaled like the face of the oscilloscope.

    The Golden Skull

    John Blaine

  • He turned it slightly then began watching the oscilloscope closely.

    All In The Mind

    Gene L. Henderson

  • The oscilloscope flickered as he readjusted, a new trace appeared.

    Sentiment, Inc.

    Poul William Anderson

  • Next, of course, an oscilloscope to check the pulse as it was beamed out.

British Dictionary definitions for oscilloscope

oscilloscope

noun
  1. an instrument for producing a representation of a quantity that rapidly changes with time on the screen of a cathode-ray tube. The changes are converted into electric signals, which are applied to plates in the cathode-ray tube. Changes in the magnitude of the potential across the plates deflect the electron beam and thus produce a trace on the screen
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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

Word Origin and History for oscilloscope

n.

"instrument for visually recording an electrical wave," 1915, a hybrid formed from Latin oscillare "to swing" (see oscillation) + -scope.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
oscilloscope in Medicine

oscilloscope

(ə-sĭl′ə-skōp′)
n.
  1. An electronic instrument that produces an instantaneous trace on the screen that corresponds to oscillations of voltage and current.
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Related formsos•cil′lo•scop′ic (-skŏp′ĭk) adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
oscilloscope in Science

oscilloscope

[ə-sĭl′ə-skōp′]
  1. An electronic instrument used to observe and measure changing electrical signals. The amplitude of the signal as it varies with time is displayed graphically on a screen as a line stretching from left to right, with displacements up and down indicating the amplitude of the signal. Oscilloscopes are used to diagnose problems in electronic signal-processing devises, such as computers or stereos, and to monitor electrical activity in the body, such as that of heartbeats.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.