Search the Dictionary:
microscope:
An optical instrument that uses a lens or lenses to produce enlarged images of small objects that are difficult or impossible to see with the unaided eye. The simplest microscope is a single lens or magnifying glass. A compound microscope has two lenses: The objective lens produces a magnified, inverted image of an object. The image is viewed through the eyepiece, or ocular lens, which magnifies the image even further. Also, electronic or other instruments that are used to magnify the images of very small objects, such as parts of cells. These include electron microscopes, field-ion microscopes, and acoustic microscopes.
