Nanoscale

adj, noun

adj, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A measuring tool with gradations in nanometers.

    "The nanoscales under development will have 10 000 to 40 000 graduations per 1 mm distance."

  2. 2
    The scale of nanotechnology.

    "As opposed to the microscale, the nanoscale is not just another step toward miniaturization: it results in a qualitatively new material."

Adjective
  1. 1
    On a scale measured in nanometers. not-comparable

    "The first such review would also include a study of whether it is feasible to create nanoscale devices that can assemble themselves or copies of themselves molecule by molecule -- a subject of fierce debate among nanotechnology experts."

Example

More examples

"The first such review would also include a study of whether it is feasible to create nanoscale devices that can assemble themselves or copies of themselves molecule by molecule -- a subject of fierce debate among nanotechnology experts."

Etymology

From nano- + scale.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.