Scan Means Both to Examine Closely and to Glance Over
A scanner reads and converts information. The verb it comes from has drifted into meaning two opposite things.
A scanner is a device that reads something systematically: a document, a barcode, a body. The verb has split in two. To *scan* a document carefully is to examine every part; to scan a page is to glance over it quickly. Both are standard, and only context saves the sentence.
- A device that reads and digitises. *A flatbed scanner.*
- A medical imaging device. *An MRI scanner.*
- A barcode reader. *The scanner beeped.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | scanner | A handheld scanner. |
| Plural | scanners | Airport scanners. |
| Verb | scan | Scan the document. |
| Noun | scan | A brain scan. |
| Related | scanning | Scanning electron microscope. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The scan showed no fracture.Medical imaging.
- I scanned the article for the figure.Looked quickly.
- Scan the barcode at the till.Retail.
Kinds of scan
- X-ray — quick imaging of dense tissue such as bone
- CT — many X-rays combined into cross sections
- MRI — magnetic fields and radio waves, good for soft tissue
- Ultrasound — sound waves, no radiation
- PET — tracks a radioactive tracer to show activity
From Latin *scandere*, to climb — the verb first meant to analyse verse by marking its feet, which is climbing through a line step by step. Everything else grew from that.
Why does *scan* mean both careful and quick reading?
The original sense was systematic analysis. Popular use added the sense of a rapid look, and dictionaries record both.
What does *scanning* a poem mean?
Marking its metrical pattern: which syllables are stressed and how the line divides into feet.