Ancient Greek word root · Sight & Light

scop-: watching, viewing

scop- is an Ancient Greek root meaning “watching, viewing”. Learn its variants and explore 5 connected words.

Meaning and variants

Meaning: watching, viewing

Root forms: scop-, -scope, -scopy

Source word: σκοπέω — to look, look at, behold; examine, inspect

Word family and examples

• telescope

  an optical instrument for making distant objects appear nearer

• microscope

  an instrument for magnifying very small objects

• horoscope

  The position of the planets and stars at the moment of someone's birth; a diagram of such positions.

• periscope

  a device for viewing over or around obstacles

• gyroscope

  An apparatus composed of a wheel which spins inside of a frame (gimbal) and causes the balancing of the frame in any direction or position. In the form of a gyroscopic stabilizer, used to help keep aircraft and ships steady.

Root connections help with vocabulary recall. They are not a complete etymological history, and a spelling match alone does not prove a relationship.

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