Meaning & use
endoscope
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Meaning
nouncountable
A thin, flexible or rigid medical instrument with a light and camera, used to look inside the body.
Grammar: Countable: a doctor uses an endoscope; hospitals may own several endoscopes.
Patterns
- use an endoscope
- insert an endoscope
- an endoscope is passed through something
The doctor used an endoscope to examine the inside of her stomach.
An endoscope can be passed through the mouth or through a small cut in the skin.
The hospital bought a new endoscope with a high-definition camera.
Word forms
| plural | endoscopes |
|---|
Common combinations
- flexible endoscope
- A flexible endoscope can bend around corners inside the body.
- insert an endoscope
- The surgeon inserted an endoscope through a small incision.
- endoscope procedure
- An endoscope procedure is usually quick and minimally invasive.
- endoscope examination
- The endoscope examination showed no signs of damage.
Synonyms and how they differ
- scope
- Informal short form often used in medical contexts; it can also mean other viewing instruments, so it is less precise than endoscope.
- fiberscope
- A type of endoscope that uses fiber optics; it is a more specific technical term, not a general synonym.
Word family
- endoscopic adjective
- Relating to an endoscope or the examination done with one.
- endoscopy noun
- The medical procedure of looking inside the body with an endoscope.
- endoscopist noun
- A doctor who is trained to perform endoscopy.
Commonly confused: endoscope or stethoscope? endoscope or microscope?
endoscope vs stethoscope
A stethoscope is used for listening to sounds inside the body, such as the heart, while an endoscope is used for looking inside.
endoscope vs microscope
A microscope magnifies very small things on a slide; an endoscope lets a doctor see inside a patient's body.
Practice
A doctor wants to look inside a patient's stomach without major surgery. What does she use?
Choose one answer.
An endoscope is a thin instrument with a camera and light that lets a doctor see inside the body. A stethoscope is for listening, a microscope is for tiny objects on a slide, and a thermometer measures temperature.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “endoscope”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.