Microscopic
/ˌmaɪ.krəˈskɒp.ɪk/noun
Too small to be seen clearly without magnification, or relating to microscopic observation.
Did you know?The word is tied to the invention of the microscope in the seventeenth century, which revealed living organisms invisible to unaided human sight.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
mikros
“small or little”
Ancient Greek
Greek
skopein
“to look at, examine, or observe”
17th Century
New Latin
microscopium
“an instrument for viewing very small objects”
17th Century
English
microscope
“an optical instrument that magnifies extremely small objects”
17th Century
English
microscopic
“relating to or visible through a microscope”
Modern English
English
microscopic
“extremely small or requiring magnification to be seen clearly”
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