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scan
scan / skan/ • v. (scanned , scan·ning ) [tr.] 1. look at all parts of (something) carefully in order to detect some feature: he raised his binoculars to scan the coast. ∎ look quickly but not very thoroughly through (a document or other text) in order to identify relevant information: we scan the papers for news from the trouble spots. ∎ cause (a surface, object, or part of the body) to be traversed by a detector or an electromagnetic beam: their brains are scanned so that researchers can monitor the progress of the disease. ∎ resolve (a picture) into its elements of light and shade in a prearranged pattern for the purposes of television transmission. ∎ convert (a document or picture) into digital form for storage or processing on a computer: text and pictures can be scanned into the computer. 2. analyze the meter of (a line of verse) by reading with the emphasis on its rhythm or by examining the pattern of feet or syllables. ∎ [intr.] (of verse) conform to metrical principles. • n. an act of scanning someone or something: a quick scan of the sports page. ∎ a medical examination using a scanner: a brain scan. ∎ an image obtained by scanning or with a scanner. DERIVATIVES: scan·na·ble adj. |
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Cite this article
"scan." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "scan." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-scan.html "scan." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-scan.html |
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scan
scan The term used to describe a variety of imaging techniques — ultrasound, CT (computed tomography), MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), isotope, or PET (positron emission tomography) scans. ‘Going for a scan’ in pregnancy would mean an ultrasound scan of the unborn baby or of the mother's pelvis. Sometimes the term may be linked to the organ or part of the body being examined (e.g. brain scan, liver scan, bone scan) without defining the particular imaging technique, other times it may be qualified and more specific (e.g. CT brain scan, isotope bone scan). All types of scanners provide moving or consecutive pictures, focussed on an organ or region of the body, from which a two- or three-dimensional image can be built up and saved by computing techniques.
J. K. Davidson See imaging techniques; radiology; X-rays. |
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COLIN BLAKEMORE and SHELIA JENNETT. "scan." The Oxford Companion to the Body. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. COLIN BLAKEMORE and SHELIA JENNETT. "scan." The Oxford Companion to the Body. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O128-scan.html COLIN BLAKEMORE and SHELIA JENNETT. "scan." The Oxford Companion to the Body. 2001. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O128-scan.html |
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scan
scan analyse the metre of XIV; †criticize, test; examine or consider closely; †interpret; †discern XVI; look at searchingly XVIII. — L. scandere (pp. scansus) climb, (late) ‘measure’ (verses), with allusion to raising and lowering the foot to mark rhythm; cf. next. The var. †scand was presumably the earlier, though not so shown by the evidence, and was apprehended as pp., from which an inf. scan was deduced.
So scansion XVII. |
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T. F. HOAD. "scan." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "scan." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-scan.html T. F. HOAD. "scan." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-scan.html |
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scan
scan (skan)
1. n. examination of the body or a part of the body using ultrasonography, computerized tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or scintigraphy. 2. n. the image obtained from such an examination. 3. vb. to examine the body using any of these techniques. |
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"scan." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "scan." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O62-scan.html "scan." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O62-scan.html |
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scan
scan n.
1. in air intercept, a term meaning: “search sector indicated and report any contacts.” 2. the path periodically followed by a radiation beam. 3. in electronics intelligence, the motion of an electronic beam through space looking for a target. |
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"scan." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "scan." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-scan.html "scan." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-scan.html |
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scan
scan A single pass through the data of one or more components in an image.
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JOHN DAINTITH. "scan." A Dictionary of Computing. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN DAINTITH. "scan." A Dictionary of Computing. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O11-scan.html JOHN DAINTITH. "scan." A Dictionary of Computing. 2004. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O11-scan.html |
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