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definitions

optic nerve

noun Anatomy.

either one of the second pair of cranial nerves, consisting of sensory fibers that conduct impulses from the retina to the brain.

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Nearby words

  1. optic decussation,
  2. optic disc,
  3. optic disk,
  4. optic foramen,
  5. optic lobe,
  6. optic neuritis,
  7. optic papilla,
  8. optic radiation,
  9. optic thalamus,
  10. optic tract

Origin of optic nerve

First recorded in 1605–15
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for optic nerve

optic nerve

noun

the second cranial nerve, which provides a sensory pathway from the retina to the brain
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Medicine definitions for optic nerve

optic nerve

n.

A nerve that originates from the retina and passes out of the eye socket to the chiasm, where part of its fibers cross to the opposite side and pass to the geniculate bodies and anterior quadrigeminal body.second cranial nerve
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Science definitions for optic nerve

optic nerve

Either of the second pair of cranial nerves, which carry sensory information relating to vision from the retina of the eye to the brain. Disease or injury of the optic nerve can result in partial or total blindness.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Culture definitions for optic nerve

optic nerve

The nerve that carries electrical signals from the retina in the eye to the brain.

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.