spectroscope

[ spek-truh-skohp ]

/ ˈspɛk trəˌskoʊp /

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noun Optics.

an optical device for producing and observing a spectrum of light or radiation from any source, consisting essentially of a slit through which the radiation passes, a collimating lens, and an Amici prism.

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Origin of spectroscope

First recorded in 1860–65; spectro- + -scope

OTHER WORDS FROM spectroscope

spec·tro·scop·ic

[spek-truh-skop-ik], /ˌspɛk trəˈskɒp ɪk/, spec·tro·scop·i·cal, adjectivespec·tro·scop·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words nearby spectroscope

spectrophotoelectric, spectrophotometer, spectropolarimeter, spectropolariscope, spectroradiometer, spectroscope, spectroscopic analysis, spectroscopic binary, spectroscopy, spectrum, spectrum analyser

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use spectroscope in a sentence

Using a spectroscope to observe starlight therefore can reveal the chemistry of the stars, exactly what Comte thought impossible.
Here are the Top 10 times scientific imagination failed|Tom Siegfried|March 31, 2022|Science News
No sooner was the spectroscope invented than astronomers hastened by its aid to explore the chemical constitution of the sun.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
It is, however, from the employment of the micro-spectroscope that the toxicologist is likely to get most assistance.
Poisons: Their Effects and Detection|Alexander Wynter Blyth
This atmosphere is shown by the spectroscope to be not unlike that of the earth, although, possibly, more dense.
A Text-Book of Astronomy|George C. Comstock

Two experiments with a spectroscope will help to make clear the meaning of the Fraunhofer lines.
Physics|Willis Eugene Tower
In the spectroscope, Mr. Huggins informs us, the spectrum is peculiar.
Half-hours with the Telescope|Richard A. Proctor

British Dictionary definitions for spectroscope

spectroscope

/ (ˈspɛktrəˌskəʊp) /

noun

any of a number of instruments for dispersing electromagnetic radiation and thus forming or recording a spectrumSee also spectrometer

Derived forms of spectroscope

spectroscopic (ˌspɛktrəˈskɒpɪk) or spectroscopical, adjectivespectroscopically, adverb

Word Origin for spectroscope

C19: from spectro- + -scope; from French, or on the model of German Spektroskop

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

Scientific definitions for spectroscope

spectroscope

[ spĕk′trə-skōp′ ]

Any of various instruments used to analyze the component parts of a sample by separating its parts into a spectrum.♦ In a light spectroscope, light is focused into a thin beam of parallel rays by a lens, and then passed through a prism or diffraction grating that separates the light into a frequency spectrum. The intensity of light at different frequencies in the spectrum can be analyzed to determine certain properties of the source of the light, such as its chemical composition or how quickly it is moving.♦ In a mass spectroscope, sample ions are beamed through an electric or magnetic field that deflects the ions; the amount of deflection depends on the ratio of their mass to their electric charge. The ion beam is thus split into separate bands; the collection of bands is called the mass spectrum of the sample, and can be analyzed to determine the distribution of ions in the sample. Spectroscopes are also called spectrographs.