confocal

adjective

con·​fo·​cal (ˌ)kän-ˈfō-kəl 

: having the same foci

confocal ellipses

confocal lenses

confocally

(ˌ)kän-ˈfō-kə-lē 

adverb

Examples of confocal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Still, with advancements like confocal fluorescence microscopy, experts are readier than ever to give them a look once more are found. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 14 Aug. 2024

After mounting the specimen to a slide using dental wax, the team placed glycerin on each side for the field of view of a confocal fluorescence microscope. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 14 Aug. 2024

Sitting at the controls of the confocal microscope that filled half of a dark and dusty room in Nixon’s lab, the research scientist Philip Stavrides toggled the field of focus up and down over one of the human Alzheimer’s brain samples. — Quanta Magazine, 8 Dec. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for confocal

• nonlocal
• cloacal
• focal
• local
• sokol
• vocal
• multifocal
• univocal

Medical Definition

confocal

adjective

con·​fo·​cal (ˈ)kän-ˈfō-kəl 

: having the same foci

confocal lenses

confocally

-kə-lē 

adverb