oscilloscope

[ uh-sil-uh-skohp ]
/ əˈsɪl əˌskoʊp /

noun Electricity.

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

OTHER WORDS FROM oscilloscope

os·cil·lo·scop·ic [uh-sil-uh-skop-ik], /əˌsɪl əˈskɒp ɪk/, adjectiveos·cil·lo·scop·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words nearby oscilloscope

oscillogram, oscillograph, oscillometer, oscillometry, oscillopsia, oscilloscope, oscine, oscitancy, oscitant, os coccygis, Osco-Umbrian
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for oscilloscope

British Dictionary definitions for oscilloscope

oscilloscope
/ (ɒˈsɪləˌskəʊp) /

noun

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
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 oscilloscope

oscilloscope
[ ə-sĭl′ə-skōp′ ]

n.

An electronic instrument that produces an instantaneous trace on the screen that corresponds to oscillations of voltage and current.

Other words from oscilloscope

os•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.

Scientific definitions for oscilloscope

oscilloscope
[ ə-sĭl′ə-skōp′ ]

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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.