An optical instrument or device designed to view circular or rotating objects, or to observe cyclical phenomena.
From 'cyclo-' (circle, cycle) + Greek 'skopeein' (to view, examine). The term follows the pattern of scientific instruments ending in '-scope'.
The '-scope' suffix has given us hundreds of scientific instruments—from microscopes to telescopes to stethoscopes—all literally meaning 'instruments for looking at' something specific!
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