OPTIC

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does optic mean? 

• OPTIC (noun)
  The noun OPTIC has 1 sense:

1. the organ of sight

  Familiarity information: OPTIC used as a noun is very rare.

• OPTIC (adjective)
  The adjective OPTIC has 2 senses:

1. of or relating to or resembling the eye

2. relating to or using sight

  Familiarity information: OPTIC used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• OPTIC (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The organ of sight

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

eye; oculus; optic

Hypernyms ("optic" is a kind 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)

Meronyms (parts of "optic"):

sclera; sclerotic coat (the whitish fibrous membrane (albuginea) that with the cornea forms the outer covering and protection of the eyeball)

iris (muscular diaphragm that controls the size of the pupil which in turn controls the amount of light that enters the eye; it forms the colored portion of the eye)

crystalline lens; lens; lens of the eye (biconvex transparent body situated behind the iris in the eye; its role (along with the cornea) is to focus light on the retina)

arteria centralis retinae; central artery of the retina (a branch of the ophthalmic artery; enters the eyeball with the optic nerve)

arteria ciliaris; ciliary artery (one of several arteries supplying the choroid coat of the eye)

arteria lacrimalis; lacrimal artery (an artery that originates from the ophthalmic artery and supplies the lacrimal gland and rectal eye muscles and the upper eyelid and the forehead)

lacrimal vein; vena lacrimalis (drains the lacrimal gland; empties into the superior ophthalmic vein)

lacrimal apparatus (the structures that secrete and drain tears from the eye)

retina (the innermost light-sensitive membrane covering the back wall of the eyeball; it is continuous with the optic nerve)

eye muscle; ocular muscle (one of the small muscles of the eye that serve to rotate the eyeball)

musculus sphincter pupillae; pupillary sphincter (a ring of smooth muscle surrounding the iris)

aperture (a natural opening in something)

uveoscleral pathway (a tubule that drains excess aqueous humor)

uvea (the part of the eye that contains the iris and ciliary body and choroid)

cornea (the transparent dome-shaped anterior portion of the outer covering of the eye; it covers the iris and pupil and is continuous with the sclera)

eyeball; orb (the ball-shaped capsule containing the vertebrate eye)

conjunctiva (a transparent lubricating mucous membrane that covers the eyeball and the under surface of the eyelid)

nictitating membrane; third eyelid (a protective fold of skin in the eyes of reptiles and birds and some mammals)

epicanthic fold; epicanthus (a vertical fold of skin over the nasal canthus; typical for many east Asian peoples; sometimes occurs in Down's syndrome)

canthus (either of the corners of the eye where the upper and lower eyelids meet)

eyelid; lid; palpebra (either of two folds of skin that can be moved to cover or open the eye)

ciliary body (the part of the tunic of the eye between the choroid coat and the iris)

choroid; choroid coat (a highly vascular membrane in the eye between the retina and the sclera; a dark pigmentation minimizes the scattering of light inside the eye)

Domain usage:

colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "optic"):

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)

oculus dexter; OD (the right eye)

oculus sinister; OS (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)

Holonyms ("optic" is a part of...):

visual system (the sensory system for vision)

face; human face (the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear)

Derivation:

optic (relating to or using sight)

• OPTIC (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Of or relating to or resembling the eye

Classified under:

Relational adjectives (pertainyms)

Synonyms:

ocular; ophthalmic; optic; optical

Context example:

ophthalmic defect

Pertainym:

eye (the organ of sight)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Relating to or using sight

Classified under:

Relational adjectives (pertainyms)

Synonyms:

ocular; optic; optical; visual

Context example:

visual navigation

Pertainym:

sight (the ability to see; the visual faculty)

Derivation:

optic (the organ of sight)

 Context examples 

A condition in which there is a build-up of fluid in the eye, which presses on the retina and the optic nerve.

(Glaucoma, NCI Dictionary)

Glaucoma is a group of diseases that can damage the eye's optic nerve.

(Glaucoma, NIH: National Eye Institute)

They tend to occur in the optic nerve and white matter of the brain and spinal cord.

(Ganglioglioma, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

A glioma affecting the optic tract and occurring in childhood.

(Childhood Visual Pathway Glioma, NCI Thesaurus)

Prior work by the scientists showed that increasing activity of protein called mTOR promoted optic nerve regeneration.

(Visual activity regenerates neural connections between eye and brain, NIH)

A congenital abnormality characterized by the underdevelopment of both optic nerves.

(Bilateral Optic Nerve Hypoplasia, NCI Thesaurus)

Hereditary conditions that feature progressive visual loss in association with optic atrophy.

(Hereditary Optic Atrophy, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

A disorder characterized by involvement of the optic nerve (second cranial nerve).

(Optic Nerve Disorder, NCI Thesaurus/CTCAE)

A glioma that affects the optic nerve.

(Optic Nerve Glioma, NCI Thesaurus)

Glial cell derived tumors arising from the optic nerve, usually presenting in childhood.

(Optic Nerve Glioma, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)