microscopy
n.the use of a microscope to look at things that are too small to see with just your eyes. It is a common way for scientists to study cells or tiny materials.
n.the technical field of using microscopes to view objects and areas of objects that cannot be seen with the naked eye. Often used to refer to the specific techniques or methodologies employed in a laboratory setting.
“The biology class used microscopy to look at plant cells.”
“Advances in electron microscopy have allowed researchers to see the internal structures of viruses in great detail.”
“While light microscopy remains a fundamental tool in clinical diagnostics, the higher resolution offered by scanning probe techniques has revolutionized our understanding of molecular surfaces.”
Uncountable when referring to the field or technique; occasionally countable when referring to specific types (e.g., 'different microscopies').
“They then used cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) , a powerful imaging technique that freezes molecules in place and visualizes them at near-atomic detail, to map what they found.”
“Cross polarized light microscopy uses specially filtered light to reveal structures that may be difficult to see with ordinary microscopy.”
Common in science writing
From micro- + -scopy.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.