optic nerve

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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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Origin of optic nerve

First recorded in 1605–15

Words nearby optic nerve

optic foramen, optician, opticianry, opticist, optic lobe, optic nerve, optic neuritis, optico-, opticociliary, opticokinetic nystagmus, opticopupillary

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use optic nerve in a sentence

Light falls on the retina, goes through various layers of neurons, is sent down the optic nerve across the brain, and then all the way to the back of the brain where the visual cortex resides.
The Hard Problem of Consciousness Has an Easy Part We Can Solve - Facts So Romantic|Tam Hunt|September 8, 2021|Nautilus
Light still streams into the eye through the unaffected lens, and that light could still make its way to the brain via the optic nerve.
A Blind Patient Regained Partial Sight in a Breakthrough Study, Offering Hope to Millions|Jeffrey Kluger|May 24, 2021|Time
They will also examine the optic nerve and retina after dilating your eyes with drops, and look inside your eyes with a microscope.
How to safely get an eye exam and buy glasses during the pandemic|Lindsey Konkel|April 12, 2021|Washington Post
When you see a word, your retina and optic nerve send that information to the visual cortex, which creates the image you see.
Why some people hear colors and taste words|Marion Renault|December 27, 2020|Popular-Science

Memes that ridiculed political leaders and the Hong Kong Police Force shot through fiber optic cables at light speed.
China’s Internet Is Freer Than You Think|Brendon Hong|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Few have the nerve to call him and he's usually pleased when an old friend does.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then he lost his nerve and decided to live after all, and I called for help.
A Million Ways to Die in Prison|Daniel Genis|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“But bringing it to New York was a bit nerve-wracking,” he admits.
This Fashion World Darling Is Homeless|Erica Wagner|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For anyone—not just a fan—the first time performing on camera can be nerve wracking.
Sotheby’s for Sex: The Problem with Auctioning Off Sex with A Porn Star|Aurora Snow|November 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was Carmena, every nerve of her loyal nature on the alert to baffle this pursuer of Alessandro and Ramona.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
To add point to this success, he knew that the victor of Montebello was straining every nerve to gain this very prize.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
I hadn't the nerve to stand there and tell her she'd never see her father again this side of the pearly gates.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
It was a hair-raising problem, too, and called for every ounce of nerve and every particle of skill the boy possessed.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run|Stanley R. Matthews
This time it was really Mr. Bills, and Mrs. Biggs went out to meet him, while Eloise felt every nerve quiver with dread.
The Cromptons|Mary J. Holmes

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

Medical definitions for optic nerve

optic nerve

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

Scientific 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.

Cultural definitions for optic nerve

optic nerve

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