Megascopic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Visible to the naked eye without the aid of a microscope or other magnifying instrument
2. Able to be seen clearly without using any magnifying tools or microscopes
3. Describes an object or detail that can be observed by the human eye alone

Etymology: "Megascopic" is a plain scientific compound, built from the Greek "mégas" meaning "large" and the combining element "-scopic," which comes from the Greek "skopein," "to look at" or "to examine." The "-scopic" element descends from "skopós," an observer or watcher, and the stem also gave English words like "microscope" and "telescope," where the same looking-at idea is paired with small or distant things. The adjective is formed by adding "-ic" to the stem "-scop-," a pattern that reached English through Latin "-icus" and Old French "-ique." Pairing "mega-" with "-scopic" produces a term for things visible to the naked eye, as opposed to those needing a microscope. Its meaning is set by that contrast: the eye alone is the instrument, and what matters is that the object is large enough to be seen without aid.

Synonyms: macroscopic

Antonyms: microscopic