scope definition | Dictionary.com

scope

[skohp]

noun, verb, scoped, scop⋅ing.

–noun

1.	extent or range of view, outlook, application, operation, effectiveness, etc.: an investigation of wide scope.

2.	space for movement or activity; opportunity for operation: to give one's fancy full scope.

3.	extent in space; a tract or area.

4.	length: a scope of cable.

5.	aim or purpose.

6.	Linguistics, Logic. the range of words or elements of an expression over which a modifier or operator has control: In “old men and women,” “old” may either take “men and women” or just “men” in its scope.

7.	(used as a short form of microscope, oscilloscope, periscope, radarscope, riflescope, telescopic sight, etc.)

–verb (used with object)

8.	Slang. to look at, read, or investigate, as in order to evaluate or appreciate.

—Verb phrase

scope out, Slang.

a.	to look at or over; examine; check out: a rock musician scoping out the audience before going on stage.

b.	to master; figure out: By the time we'd scoped out the problem, it was too late.

Origin:
1525–35; < It scopo < Gk skopós aim, mark to shoot at; akin to skopeîn to look at (see -scope )

Related forms:

scopeless, adjective

Synonyms:
1. See range. 2. margin, room, liberty.

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-scope

a combining form meaning “instrument for viewing,” used in the formation of compound words: telescope.

Compare -scopy.

Origin:
< NL -scopium < Gk -skopion, -skopeion, equiv. to skop(eîn) to look at (akin to sképtesthai to look, view carefully; cf. skeptic ) + -ion, -eion n. suffix

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To scope

scope (skōp)

The range of one's perceptions, thoughts, or actions.
Breadth or opportunity to function. See Synonyms at room.
The area covered by a given activity or subject. See Synonyms at range.
The length or sweep of a mooring cable.
Informal A viewing instrument such as a periscope, microscope, or telescope.

tr.v. scoped, scop·ing, scopes Slang
To examine or investigate. Often used with out: "Their World Wide Web site is, for now, the best place to scope out the future of the media business in cyberspace." (Marc Gunther).

[Italian scopo, aim, purpose, from Greek skopos, target, aim; see spek- in Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Scope

Scope\, n. [It. scopo, L. scopos a mark, aim, Gr. skopo`s, a watcher, mark, aim; akin to ?, ? to view, and perh. to E. spy. Cf. Skeptic, Bishop.]

1. That at which one aims; the thing or end to which the mind directs its view; that which is purposed to be reached or accomplished; hence, ultimate design, aim, or purpose; intention; drift; object. "Shooting wide, do miss the marked scope." --Spenser.

Your scope is as mine own, So to enforce or qualify the laws As to your soul seems good. --Shak.

The scope of all their pleading against man's authority, is to overthrow such laws and constitutions in the church. --Hooker.

2. Room or opportunity for free outlook or aim; space for action; amplitude of opportunity; free course or vent; liberty; range of view, intent, or action.

Give him line and scope. --Shak.

In the fate and fortunes of the human race, scope is given to the operation of laws which man must always fail to discern the reasons of. --I. Taylor.

Excuse me if I have given too much scope to the reflections which have arisen in my mind. --Burke.

An intellectual cultivation of no moderate depth or scope. --Hawthorne.

3. Extended area. [Obs.] "The scopes of land granted to the first adventurers." --Sir J. Davies.

4. Length; extent; sweep; as, scope of cable.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : scope

Spanish: oportunidad,

German: der Raum,

Japanese: 機会

More Translations »

scope (1)

"extent," 1534, "room to act," from It. scopo "aim, purpose, object, thing aimed at, mark, target," from L. scopus, from Gk. skopos "aim, target, watcher," from PIE *spek- "to observe" (cf. Skt. spasati "sees;" Avestan spasyeiti "spies;" Gk. skopein "behold, look, consider," skeptesthai "to look at;" L. specere "to look at;" O.H.G. spehhon "to spy," Ger. spähen "to spy"). Sense of "distance the mind can reach, extent of view" first recorded c.1600.

scope (2)

"instrument for viewing," 1872, abstracted from telescope, microscope, etc., from Gk. skopein "to look." Earlier used as a shortening of horoscope (1603). The verb is recorded from 1807.

Main Entry: scope
Pronunciation: 'skOp
Function: noun
: any of various instruments for viewing: as a : BRONCHOSCOPE b : GASTROSCOPE c : MICROSCOPE

SCOPE project
Software Evaluation and Certification Programme Europe.
An ESPRIT project.
(1995-04-12)

scope programming
The scope of an identifier is the region of a program source within which it represents a certain thing. This usually extends from the place where it is declared to the end of the smallest enclosing block (begin/end or procedure/function body). An inner block may contain a redeclaration of the same identifier in which case the scope of the outer declaration does not include (is "shadowed" or "occluded" by) the scope of the inner.
See also activation record, dynamic scope, lexical scope.
(1994-11-01)

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