scopo-, scop-, scept-, skept-, -scope-, -scopy, -scopia, -scopic, -scopist
(Greek > Latin: see, view, sight, look, look at, examine, behold, consider)
2. The practice of determining by external applications which metals or metallic substances act most easily and favorably upon a person's skin.
2. An instrument for measuring the apparent path of a meteor.
2. The interpretation of facial wrinkles, especially those on the forehead, to determine the character of a person.
It is also used as a type of divination and has been used in conjunction with astrology. This pseudoscience was invented by the great 16th century mathematician, physician, and astrologer, Girolamo Cardano (1501-1576). Legend has it that Cardano starved himself to death at the age of seventy-five rather than live and run the risk of falsifying his horoscope and thereby discredit his beloved astrology.
In all, Cardano worked up about 800 facial figures, each associated with astrological signs and qualities of temperament and character. He declared that one could tell by the lines on her face which woman is an adulteress and which has a hatred of any lewdness.
Long, straight furrows are supposed to indicate nobility of character. He claimed to be able to tell the generous from the trickster by their distinct lines and noted that having three curved furrows on the forehead proves one is a dissolute simpleton.
The strongest feature of metoposcopy is that it is a non-invasive method of quickly assessing character. Its weakest features are that it has no scientific merit, although it can be easily verified by confirmation bias, and it is very cumbersome to have over 800 character traits to consider.
2. An endoscope used in direct visual examination of the canal of the uterine cervix and the cavity of the uterus.
2. An instrument; such as, an electron microscope, that uses electronic or other processes to magnify objects.
3. A device that uses a lens or system of lenses to produce a greatly magnified image of an object.
An optical microscope uses transmitted or reflected light to obtain the image. An electron microscope uses a beam of electrons and a system of electron-focusing lenses to obtain images.
Cross references of word families that are related directly, or indirectly, to: "appear, visible, visual, manifest, show, see, reveal, look": blep-; delo-; demonstra-; opt-; -orama; pare-; phanero-; phant-; pheno-; spec-; vela-, veal-; video-, visuo-.