Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe study of microscopes, their design and manufacture.
nounThe use of microscopes.
Sentence Examples
She studied cells using microscopy techniques.
Microscopy revealed the tiny details.
Electron microscopy revealed the detailed structure of the virus.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The lab uses advanced ____ to capture images of very small particles.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Advances in electron ____ have allowed scientists to see the individual atoms of a material in incredible detail and clarity.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *mey-der.?
Ancient Greek μικρός (mikrós)der.
English micro-
Proto-Indo-European *speḱ-
Proto-Indo-European *-yeti
Proto-Indo-European *spéḱyeti
Proto-Hellenic *sképťomai
Ancient Greek σκέπτομαι (sképtomai)
Proto-Indo-European *-ós
Proto-Hellenic *-ós
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Ancient Greek -ος (-os)influ.
Ancient Greek -ός (-ós)
Ancient Greek σκοπός (skopós)
Proto-Indo-European *-eti
Proto-Indo-European *-eyéti
Proto-Indo-European *-esyéti
Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti
Proto-Indo-European *-yeti
Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti
Proto-Indo-European *-yeti
Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti
Ancient Greek -έω (-éō)
Ancient Greek σκοπέω (skopéō)der.
English -scopy
English microscopy
From micro- + -scopy.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Studies of the viable blood cells with phase contrast microscopy showed peculiar cells that had numerous short villi and were arbitrarily called “hairy cells.”"
— 1966 February 26, Robert Schrek, ““Hairy” Cells in Blood in Lymphoreticular Neoplastic Disease and “Flagellated” Cells of Normal Lymph Nodes”, in Blood, volume 27, number 2, page 199:
"Nematodes are transparent. It is one of the features that make them an ideal model organism, amenable to microscopy."
— 2020, Brandon Taylor, Real Life, Daunt Books Originals, page 88:
"A multi-institution US research team has combined some creative chemistry, fluorescence microscopy and laser-driven microballistics to gain a clearer view of just what happens in a high-strain-rate impact, and to tease out the relative contribution of different kinds of energy dissipation within the target (Nat. Commun., doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-52663-1)."
— 2024 October 7, Stewart Wills, “A Deeper View of High-Speed Impacts”, in Optics & Photonics News: