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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
  1. adjective
    of or relating to or resembling the eye
    “the optic (or optical) axis of the eye”
    synonyms: ocular, opthalmic, optical
  2. adjective
    relating to or using sight
    synonyms: ocular, optical, visual
  3. noun
    the organ of sight
    synonyms: eye, oculus
    see moresee less
    types:
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    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
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