optic
optics
If you describe something as optic, it has something to do with eyes or vision. Your optic nerve, for example, sends information to your brain from your eyes.
You'll most often find the adjective optic in anatomy or biology textbooks, describing the parts of an eye, or disorders involving the eye. Your optic disc is a tiny blind spot that all humans have on their eyeballs, and optic neuritis is an inflammation of the optic nerve. When it's a noun, optic is an old-fashioned, jokey way to say "eyeball." Optic comes from the Greek optikos, "of or having to do with sight."
Definitions of optic
-
of or relating to or resembling the eye
-
relating to or using sight
-
the organ of sight
-
types:
- show 7 types...
- hide 7 types...
-
naked eye
the eye unaided by any optical instrument that alters the power of vision or alters the apparent size or distance of objects
-
peeper
an informal term referring to the eye
-
OD, oculus dexter
the right eye
-
OS, oculus sinister
the left eye
-
ocellus, simple eye, stemma
an eye having a single lens
-
compound eye
in insects and some crustaceans: composed of many light-sensitive elements each forming a portion of an image
-
ommatidium
any of the numerous small cone-shaped eyes that make up the compound eyes of some arthropods
-
type of:
-
receptor, sense organ, sensory receptor
an organ having nerve endings (in the skin or viscera or eye or ear or nose or mouth) that respond to stimulation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘optic'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
Send us feedback
Word Family
EDITOR'S CHOICE
Look up optic for the last time
Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.
