Coined 1625 from Greek 'mikros' (small) + 'skopein' (to look) — modeled on the recently coined 'telescope.'
An optical instrument used for viewing very small objects by magnifying them, typically using a combination of lenses.
Coined in the early 17th century from New Latin microscopium, combining Greek mikros (small, little) and Greek skopein (to look at, examine). The element mikros derives from the PIE root *smik- or *mei- (small), which also produced Old English smæl (small, narrow — hence English small) and Latin minor (lesser). The element skopein comes from the PIE root *spek- (to observe, look), which is extraordinarily productive: it yielded Latin specere (to look — hence English spectacle, specimen, species, spectrum, inspect, respect, suspect, perspective), Latin speculum (mirror — hence English speculate), Greek skepsis (examination — hence English skeptic), and Germanic *spehōną (to spy — hence English spy). The compound was modelled on the earlier telescope
The word 'microscope' was coined by members of the Accademia dei Lincei — the same Roman scientific academy that had coined 'telescope' fourteen years earlier. The Lincei ('Lynx-Eyed') chose their name because the lynx was believed to have extraordinarily sharp vision. The academy effectively named both instruments that extended human sight: the telescope for far
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