Meaning & use
stereoscope
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Meaning
nouncountable
A device that shows a slightly different picture to each eye so the two views combine into one image with depth.
Grammar: Countable: a stereoscope, two stereoscopes.
Patterns
- look through a stereoscope
- view something with a stereoscope
In the museum, visitors can look through a stereoscope and see old photographs in three dimensions.
The stereoscope uses two lenses to direct a separate image to each eye.
She bought an antique stereoscope at a flea market, complete with a box of glass slides.
Word forms
| plural | stereoscopes |
|---|
Common combinations
- look through a stereoscope
- He looked through the stereoscope and gasped at the depth of the scene.
- antique stereoscope
- The antique stereoscope came with a set of hand-tinted cards.
- stereoscope slide
- Each stereoscope slide holds two nearly identical photographs side by side.
- view something with a stereoscope
- Doctors once viewed X-ray images with a stereoscope to judge depth.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stereo viewer
- A more general modern term for any device that shows two images for a 3D effect, including cheap cardboard ones.
- View-Master
- A trademarked toy that works on the same principle but uses a rotating disk of film pairs; use it only for that specific product.
Word family
- stereoscopic adjective
- Relating to the perception of depth from two slightly different images.
- stereoscopy noun
- The technique or study of producing a 3D effect from two images.
Commonly confused: stereoscope or periscope? stereoscope or telescope?
stereoscope vs periscope
A periscope lets you see over or around an obstacle using mirrors; a stereoscope is about creating a 3D image.
stereoscope vs telescope
A telescope makes distant things look bigger; a stereoscope makes flat pictures look deep.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'stereoscope' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A stereoscope is for viewing two images to get depth, so option B fits. Option A describes a telescope, and option D describes a microscope.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stereoscope”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.