Definition of SCAN

scan

Meanings

Plural: scans

Noun

  • the act of scanning; systematic examination of a prescribed region
    • "he made a thorough scan of the beach with his binoculars"
  • an image produced by scanning
    • "he analyzed the brain scan"
    • "you could see the tumor in the CAT scan"
  • Close investigation.
  • A careful reading.
  • Close investigation.
  • A cursory reading: a skim.
  • An instance of scanning.
  • The result or output of a scanning process.
  • A higher-order function that applies a binary operation to a sequence of values, starting with an accumulator, and returns a new sequence with the results.

Verb

  • examine minutely or intensely
    • "the surgeon scanned the X-ray"
  • examine hastily
    • "She scanned the newspaper headlines while waiting for the taxi"
  • make a wide, sweeping search of
    • "The beams scanned the night sky"
  • conform to a metrical pattern
  • move a light beam over; in electronics, to reproduce an image
  • read metrically
    • "scan verses"
  • obtain data from magnetic tapes
  • To examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely.
  • To examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely.
  • To inspect, analyse or go over, often to find something.
  • To look about for; to look over quickly.
  • To look about for; to look over quickly.
  • To perform lexical analysis; to tokenize.
  • To create an image of something with the use of a scanner.
  • To read with an electronic device.
  • To mount by steps; to go through with step by step.
  • To read or mark so as to show a specific metre.
  • To conform to a metrical structure.

Origin / Etymology

From late Middle English scanne (“to mark off verse to show metrical structure”), from earlier scanden, from Late Latin scandere (“to scan verse”), from Classical Latin scandō (“I climb, rise, mount”), from Proto-Indo-European *skend- (“to jump, dart, climb, scale, scan”).

Synonyms

CAT scan, glance over, perusal, rake, read, run down, skim

Scrabble Score: 6

scan is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
scan is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
scan is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 8

scan is a valid Words With Friends word