Wiktionary

microscopic

See also: microscòpic

English

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Etymology

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    Etymology tree
    Proto-Indo-European *mey-der.?
    Ancient Greek μῑκρός (mīkrós)
    Proto-Indo-European *speḱ-
    Proto-Indo-European *-yeti
    Proto-Indo-European *spéḱyeti
    Proto-Hellenic *sképťomai
    Ancient Greek σκέπτομαι (sképtomai)
    Proto-Hellenic *-os
    Ancient Greek -ος (-os)
    Ancient Greek -ός (-ós)
    Ancient Greek σκοπός (skopós)
    Ancient Greek -έω (-éō)
    Ancient Greek σκοπέω (skopéō)
    Proto-Indo-European *-yōs
    Proto-Italic *-jōs
    Old Latin -ios
    Latin -ius
    Latin -ium
    English microscope
    Proto-Italic *-kos
    Latin -cus
    Old French -iquebor.
    Middle English -ik
    English -ic
    English microscopic

    From microscope +‎ -ic.

    Pronunciation

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    Adjective

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    microscopic (comparative more microscopic, superlative most microscopic)

    1. Of, or relating to microscopes or microscopy; microscopal
      We supply all microscopic stains and other materials.
    2. So small that it can only be seen with the aid of a microscope.
      The water was full of microscopic organisms.
    3. Very small; minute
      Compared to the galaxy, we are microscopic in scale.
      • 1961 October, “The winter timetables of British Railways: London Midland Region”, in Trains Illustrated, page 593:
        By wholesale omission of connections and by the use of a microscopic scale of photographic reproduction which makes some of the most important tables difficult to read, the size has been cut down from last winter's 580 to 520 pages only.
      • 2014 September, Gregg Jaeger, “What in the (quantum) world is macroscopic?”, in American Journal of Physics, volume 82, number 9, pages 896–905:
        ... the notion of the microscopic was often used in the foundations of quantum theory right from the start, to indicate the realm in which quantum theory is required in order to explain phenomena when classical theory cannot do so; quantum theory was generally considered in those years to apply only to situations involving atoms and smaller “microscopic” entities...
    4. (figurative) Carried out with great attention to detail.
      The police carried out a microscopic search of the crime scene.
    5. Able to see extremely minute objects.

    Synonyms

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    Antonyms

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    Derived terms

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    Translations

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    See also

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    Interlingua

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    Adjective

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    microscopic (not comparable)

    1. microscopic
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    Romanian

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    Etymology

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    Borrowed from French microscopique. Equivalent to microscop +‎ -ic.

    Adjective

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    microscopic m or n (feminine singular microscopică, masculine plural microscopici, feminine and neuter plural microscopice)

    1. microscopic

    Declension

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    Declension of microscopic
    singular plural
    masculine neuter feminine masculine neuter feminine
    nominative/
    accusative     		indefinite microscopic microscopică microscopici microscopice
    definite microscopicul microscopica microscopicii microscopicele
    genitive/
    dative     		indefinite microscopic microscopice microscopici microscopice
    definite microscopicului microscopicei microscopicilor microscopicelor
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