micro·scope [microscopemicroscopes] BrE [ˈmaɪkrəskəʊp] NAmE [ˈmaɪkrəskoʊp] noun an instrument used in scientific study for making very small things look larger so that you can examine them carefully •a microscope slide •The bacteria were then examined under a/the microscope. • (figurative)In the play, love and marriage are put under the microscope. see also ↑electron microscope
Word Origin: mid 17th cent.: from modern Latin microscopium (from ↑micro- and -scope, from modern Latin -scopium, from Greek skopein ‘look at’).
Example Bank: •a section of a potato as seen through a microscope •bacteria examined under the microscope
