spectroscopy

noun

spec·​tros·​co·​py spek-ˈträ-skə-pē 

1

: the process or technique of using a spectroscope or spectrometer

2

: the production and investigation of spectra

Examples of spectroscopy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Color filters overlay the instrument's detector array to separate light entering the telescope into its component wavelengths, a process known as spectroscopy. —Ars Technica, 13 Mar. 2025

Fingerprinting microplastics Just as fingerprinting uniquely identifies a person, scientists use spectroscopy to determine the chemical identity of microplastics. —Ambuj Tewari, The Conversation, 6 Mar. 2025

Using a technique called spectroscopy, scientists can split the infrared light from stars and galaxies into different colors, similar to how sunlight hitting a prism separates into a rainbow of visible hues. —Denise Chow, NBC News, 26 Feb. 2025

Using two scientific techniques — called Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry — the researchers were able to measure how much infrared light the beads absorbed, which revealed their chemical makeup, according to the study. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1869, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing spectroscopy

• Auger electron spectroscopy

Rhymes for spectroscopy

• arthroscopy
• colposcopy
• cystoscopy
• fluoroscopy
• colonoscopy
• laparoscopy

Medical Definition

spectroscopy

noun

spec·​tros·​co·​py spek-ˈträs-kə-pē 

plural spectroscopies

1

a

: the production and investigation of spectra

b

: the process or technique of using a spectroscope or spectrometer

2

: physics that deals with the theory and interpretation of interactions between matter and radiation (as electromagnetic radiation)