Magnifier

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An optical instrument that enhances the visual size of objects for clearer observation
2. A device that increases the perceived dimensions of items to aid in their examination
3. An instrument used to enlarge the appearance of small objects for easier viewing

Etymology: The "-er" in "magnifier" is a plain English agent suffix, so the interesting part of this word's history lies in the verb it comes from. "Magnify" was borrowed into Middle English from Middle French, which had taken it from the Latin "magnificare," meaning to make great or to extol. That Latin verb is itself built from "magnus," "great," and "-ficare," a combining element from "facere," "to make," so the word literally means "to make big." The Latin root "magnus" is the same source behind words like "magnitude" and "magnanimous," and the sense of "great" carried over into the Middle French verb before "magnify" took on its optical meaning of making something look larger. Once the verb was in English, "magnifier" followed as a regular agent noun: a thing that does the magnifying. It is one of many English tools formed this way, pairing a verb with "-er" as in "cutter" or "opener."

Synonyms: lens, magnifying glass, enlarger, optical instrument, zoom

Antonyms: diminisher, reducer, compressor