[scan] vb scanned ; scan.ning [ME scannen, fr. LL scandere, fr. L, to climb; akin to MIr sceinnid he springs, Skt skandati he leaps] vt (14c) 1: to read or mark so as to show metrical structure
2: to examine by point-by-point observation or checking: a: to investigate thoroughly by checking point by point and often repeatedly "a fire lookout scanning the hills with binoculars" b: to glance from point to point of often hastily, casually, or in search of a particular item "~ the want ads looking for a job" 3 a: to examine esp. systematically with a sensing device (as a photometer or a beam of radiation) usu. to obtain information b: to pass an electron beam over and convert (an image) into variations of electrical properties (as voltage) that convey information electronically c: to pass over in the formation of an image "the electron beam ~s the picture tube" ~ vi 1: to scan verse
2: to conform to a metrical pattern syn see scrutinize -- scan.na.ble adj
[2]scan n (1706) 1: the act or process of scanning
2: a radar or television trace 3 a: a depiction (as a photograph) of the distribution of a radioactive material in something (as a bodily organ) b: an image of a bodily part produced (as by computer) by combining radiographic data obtained from several angles or sections