magnifying glass

a lens that produces an enlarged image of an object.

Compare hand lens.

Origin of magnifying glass

First recorded in 1655–65

The shell is covered all over with fine lines, but they need to be looked at through a magnifying-glass, they are so fine.

Hawthorne and His Circle |Julian Hawthorne
Every night I shut myself in, all alone, and studied the day's thumb-prints with a magnifying-glass.

Life On The Mississippi, Complete |Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
True, under the magnifying-glass the foliage looks crisped, as is noticed after a first frost.

The Heart of the White Mountains, Their Legend and Scenery |Samuel Adams Drake
He was examining a piece of china with a magnifying-glass when I entered.

Thomas Hardy's Dorset |Robert Thurston Hopkins

By the aid of a magnifying-glass every stone in his buildings and every leaf on his trees may be counted.

The Standard Galleries - Holland |Esther Singleton