Leeuwenhoek

or Le·u·wen·hoek

[ ley-vuhn-hook; Dutch ley-y-wuhn-hook ]

noun

1. An·ton van [ahn, -tawn vahn], 1632–1723, Dutch naturalist and microscopist.

Leeuwenhoek

/ ˈleːwənhuːk; ˈleɪvənˌhuːk /

noun

1. LeeuwenhoekAnton van16321723MDutchSCIENCE: microscopist Anton van (ˈɑntɔn vɑn). 1632–1723, Dutch microscopist, whose microscopes enabled him to give the first accurate description of blood corpuscles, spermatozoa, and microbes

Leeuwenhoek

/ lā′vən-hk′ /

1. Dutch naturalist and pioneer of microscopic research. He was the first to describe protozoa, bacteria, and spermatozoa. He also made observations of yeasts, red blood cells, and blood capillaries, and traced the life histories of various animals, including the flea, ant, and weevil.

Biography

As a young man Anton van Leeuwenhoek worked in a drapery store, where he used magnifying glasses to count thread densities. Perhaps inspired by Robert Hooke's Micrographia (an account of Hooke's microscopic investigations in botany, chemistry, and other branches of science, published in 1665), he began building microscopes. He examined hair, blood, insects, and other things around him, keeping detailed records and drawings of his observations. Although compound microscopes with more than one lens had been invented at the end of the fourteenth century, they were able to magnify objects only 20 to 30 times. Van Leeuwenhoek's single-lens microscopes were basically powerful magnifying glasses, but his superior lens-grinding skills and acute eyesight enabled him to magnify objects up to 200 times. Van Leeuwenhoek made each microscope for a specific investigation, and he had his specimens permanently mounted so he could study them as long as he wanted. His discoveries include protozoans (1674), blood cells (1674), bacteria (1676), spermatozoa (1677), and the structure of nerves (1717). By the time of his death at the age of ninety, van Leeuwenhoek had constructed more than 400 microscopes.

Example Sentences

Ever since Antonie van Leeuwenhoek discovered the world of bacteria through a microscope in the late seventeenth century, humans have tried to look deeper into the world of the infinitesimally small.

From Science Daily

Yet when Leeuwenhoek discovered sperm, he anticipated that the world would be disgusted.

From Salon

Van Leeuwenhoek’s teeth were coated with a jellylike film containing billions of bacteria.

From New York Times

Dutch scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek made extraordinary observations of blood cells, sperm cells and bacteria with his microscopes.

From Scientific American

It took four years for Leeuwenhoek’s discovery to be confirmed.

From Literature