optical

American  

[op-ti-kuhl] / ˈɒp tɪ kəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or applying optics optics or the principles of optics.

2. constructed to assist sight or to correct defects in vision.

3. of or relating to sight or vision; visual.

4. of or relating to the eye.

5. of or relating to an optician or opticians or to their products, especially eyeglasses.

   an optical service.

6. dealing with or skilled in optics.

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noun

1. opticals. optical effects.

optical British  

/ ˈɒptɪkəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, producing, or involving light

2. of or relating to the eye or to the sense of sight; optic

3. (esp of a lens) aiding vision or correcting a visual disorder

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optical Scientific  

/ ŏp′tĭ-kəl /

1. Relating to vision or the eyes.

2. Relating to optics.

3. Relating to or using visible light.

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Other Word Forms

• nonoptical adjective
• nonoptically adverb
• optically adverb
• suboptical adjective
• suboptically adverb

Etymology

Origin of optical

First recorded in 1560–70; optic + -al ¹

Example Sentences

The team confined thousands of rubidium atoms so they could only move along a single straight line, using a combination of magnetic and optical fields.

From Science Daily

This marked the first time an exoplanet had been directly imaged at optical wavelengths, and it was named Fomalhaut b following standard naming rules.

From Science Daily

Otherwise, the system of conveyors, magnets, optical sorters and pneumatic blocks runs largely unmanned.

From The Wall Street Journal

In contrast, the open structure of light cages lets cesium atoms diffuse into the core much more quickly, cutting the filling process down to just a few days without sacrificing optical performance.

From Science Daily

This nonlinear optical technique is capable of tracking electron motion on attosecond timescales.

From Science Daily