microscope - magnifier of the image of small objects; "the invention of the microscope led to the discovery of the cell"angioscope - a modified microscope used to study capillary vessels camera lucida - an optical device consisting of an attachment that enables an observer to view simultaneously the image and a drawing surface for sketching it electron microscope - a microscope that is similar in purpose to a light microscope but achieves much greater resolving power by using a parallel beam of electrons to illuminate the object instead of a beam of light light microscope - microscope consisting of an optical instrument that magnifies the image of an object magnifier - a scientific instrument that magnifies an image |