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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Scan: Definition, Usage & Common Mistakes (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：look over quickly (scan)

scan 🔊

/skæn/

To look at or read something quickly to get the main ideas without details.

Illustration of a person scanning a magazine quickly, demonstrating the 'look over' meaning of scan.

look over quickly 🔊

➕

/lʊk ˈoʊvər ˈkwɪkli/

To read or look at something in a rapid manner, focusing on identifying the main points or features without paying close attention to every detail.

📁 Category：Language Evolution 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'scandere' meaning 'to climb', which in Medieval Latin also meant 'to analyze verse'.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of your eyes or a machine's light 'climbing' over a surface to gather information.

📖 Example

When I'm short on time, I scan the news headlines on my phone to stay informed. 🔊 When I'm short on time, I look over the news headlines on my phone quickly to stay informed.

🔗 Collocations

scan a document – to look through a document rapidly for key information

scan the horizon – to look quickly across the distant view

scan a page – to move one's eyes quickly over a page of text

🔄 Synonyms

skim (v.) – to read or glance through quickly and superficially

browse (v.) – to look through or over something casually

glance over (v.) – to take a brief, hurried look

🚫 Antonyms

study (v.) – to read or examine carefully and in detail

peruse (v.) – to read thoroughly and with great attention

🌱 Derivatives

scanner (n.) – a person or device that scans

scanning (adj.) – related to the act of looking over quickly

📖 Cultural Story

The word 'scan' evolved from the Latin 'scandere' (to climb), used in analyzing the meter of poetry by 'climbing' through syllables. Its modern meaning of 'examining quickly' developed in the 20th century, strongly influenced by technology like radar and digital imaging.

Meaning 2：electronically read (scan)

scan 🔊

/skæn/

To use a machine to quickly and carefully examine or copy the image or information of something.

Photo showing hands using a scanner to digitize a document, explaining the electronic meaning of scan.

electronically read 🔊

➕

/ɪˌlɛkˈtrɒnɪkli riːd/

To use an electronic device to capture, convert, or examine an image, object, or data by passing a beam of light or other signal over it.

📁 Category：Technological Inventions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

At the supermarket, the cashier uses a device to scan the barcode on each item for pricing. 🔊 At the supermarket, the cashier uses a device to electronically read the barcode on each item for pricing.

🔗 Collocations

scan a barcode – to read a product's barcode with a laser or camera

scan a photo – to create a digital copy of a photograph using a scanner

scan for viruses – to use antivirus software to check a computer system for malware

🔄 Synonyms

digitize (v.) – to convert analog information into a digital form

read (v.) – to electronically interpret data, like a barcode or magnetic strip

image (v.) – to create a visual representation using medical or scientific equipment

🚫 Antonyms

print (v.) – to produce a physical copy from a digital file

write manually () –

🌱 Derivatives

scan (n.) – the image or data produced by the act of scanning

scannable (adj.) – capable of being read or analyzed by a scanner