scanners
|scan-ners|
🇺🇸
/ˈskænərz/
🇬🇧
/ˈskænəz/
(scanner)
device for scanning
Etymology
'scanner' originates from English, specifically formed from the verb 'scan' plus the agent suffix '-er' (meaning 'one that scans' or 'device that scans').
'scan' entered English from a Scandinavian source (Old Norse 'skanna', meaning 'to examine' or 'to strip/scan') and was used in the sense 'to examine closely'; in the 20th century the compound 'scanner' was coined to name machines that perform scanning, leading to the modern English 'scanner'.
Initially it meant 'one who scans' or the action of scanning; over time it evolved into a common term for electronic or optical devices that perform systematic examination or reading (e.g., document, radio, or medical scanners).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural of 'scanner': a device that optically reads images, text, or other visual information (e.g., a flatbed or sheet-fed document scanner).
The office bought two new scanners to digitize the old records.
Synonyms
Noun 2
plural of 'scanner': a radio receiver that automatically tunes across frequencies to pick up broadcasts such as police, fire, or other transmissions.
Hobbyists often use scanners to listen to emergency-service communications.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/27 07:27