low-magnification
|low-mag-ni-fi-ca-tion|
🇺🇸
/loʊˌmæɡnɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/
🇬🇧
/ləʊˌmæɡnɪfɪˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/
low degree of enlargement
Etymology
'low-magnification' is a Modern English compound formed from 'low' + 'magnification'. 'Low' is an Old/Middle English word meaning 'not high' (used to indicate small vertical extent or lesser degree), and 'magnification' comes from Latin 'magnificatio' (from 'magnus' meaning 'great' and 'facere' meaning 'to make').
The element 'magnification' entered English via Medieval/Modern Latin (magnificatio → Middle French/Latin-influenced forms) and became English 'magnification'; combining it with the English adjective 'low' produced the descriptive compound 'low-magnification' used in optical and technical contexts.
Individually, 'low' originally denoted 'not high' and 'magnification' originally referred to the action or result of making something appear larger; together the compound came to mean 'a relatively small degree of enlargement' or 'an image/view produced at low optical magnification'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an instance or setting of viewing or imaging performed at low magnification (e.g., a low-magnification photograph or overview image).
Take a low-magnification of the entire specimen to get an overview.
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Adjective 1
describing an image, view, or optical setting that uses a relatively small degree of magnification (e.g., a low-magnification objective or low-magnification view).
The pathologist scanned the slide at a low-magnification objective before switching to higher power.
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Last updated: 2025/09/05 01:40