microscope slide

Definition: A microscope slide is a thin flat piece of glass, typically 75 by 26 mm (3 by 1 inches) and about 1 mm thick, used to hold objects for examination under a microscope.

Typically the object is placed or secured ("mounted") on the slide, and then both are inserted together in the microscope for viewing.

This arrangement allows several slide-mounted objects to be quickly inserted and removed from the microscope, labeled, transported, and stored in appropriate slide cases or folders.

Microscope slides are often used together with a cover slip or cover glass, a smaller and thinner sheet of glass that is placed over the specimen.

Slides are held in place on the microscope’s stage by slide clips, slide clamps or a cross-table which is used to achieve precise, remote movement of the slide upon the microscope’s stage.

See also

 microscopy