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scanner
/ˈskænə/
The term carries a sense of rapid conversion or rapid observation. When applied to technology, it suggests a precise, line-by-line translation of physical reality into a digital map. It implies a transition from the tangible to the virtual. When applied to human behavior, it describes a selective form of attention. It is not a deep dive or a thorough reading, but a strategic search for a specific target, similar to how a radar beam sweeps across a horizon to find a signal.
Countable when referring to the physical machines or people (two scanners). Uncountable when referring to the general process of scanning in a technical context.
Meanings
A device that analyzes a physical document, image, or object and converts it into a digital format.
"She used the flatbed scanner to digitize the old family photographs."
A medical imaging device, such as an MRI or CT machine, used to create detailed images of the inside of the body.
"The patient was wheeled into the scanner for a full-body brain scan."
A person who scans something quickly to find specific information.
"As an experienced editor, he is a fast scanner of manuscripts."
To convert a document or image into digital data using a scanner.
"Please scan the contract and email it to the legal department."
To look through a text or area quickly to find a particular piece of information.
"She scanned the crowd for her missing brother."