Dictionary.com
definitions

fiber optics

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fiber optics ON THESAURUS.COM

noun (used with a singular verb)

the branch of optics that deals with the transmission of light through transparent fibers, as in the form of pulses for the transmission of data or communications, or through fiber bundles for the transmission of images.

RELATED CONTENT

opticsFind new words to share every day with Dictionary.com's Word of the Day. Discover the definition, pronunciation, and origin of uncommon words plus more!
READ MORE
nappy hairRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

catoptrics, dioptrics

Nearby words

  1. fiat money,
  2. fib,
  3. fibber,
  4. fiber,
  5. fiber bundle,
  6. fiber pen,
  7. fiber, dietary,
  8. fiberboard,
  9. fibered,
  10. fiberfill
Compare optical fiber.

Origin of fiber optics

First recorded in 1960–65
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Medicine definitions for fiber optics

fiber optics

n.

An optical system in which light or an image is conveyed by a compact bundle of fine flexible glass or plastic fibers.
Related formsfi′ber-op′tic adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Science definitions for fiber optics

fiber optics

Technology based on the use of hair-thin, transparent fibers to transmit light or infrared signals. The fibers are flexible and consist of a core of optically transparent glass or plastic, surrounded by a glass or plastic cladding that reflects the light signals back into the core. Light signals can be modulated to carry almost any other sort of signal, including sounds, electrical signals, and computer data, and a single fiber can carry hundreds of such signals simultaneously, literally at the speed of light. Signals that have weakened after travelling very long distances in the fibers can be optically pumped with lasers, amplifying them without the need to convert them into electrical signals. Optical fibers are relatively inexpensive to manufacture and install when compared with wire cables, and they require very little power and are easily laid out underground. Optical fibers are also used to transmit images focused on one end to the other end through circuitous paths, as in bronchoscopes and colonoscopes used in medical examinations.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Culture definitions for fiber optics

fiber optics

A technology that uses specially designed bundles of transparent fibers to transmit light.

Note

Some of the applications of fiber optics are in medicine, where it is used to view otherwise inaccessible parts of the body, and in telecommunications, where it is used to transmit data of all types.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.