optical fiber

American  

noun

1. a very thin, flexible glass or plastic strand along which large quantities of information can be transmitted in the form of light pulses: used in telecommunications, medicine, and other fields.

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optical fiber Scientific  

1. A flexible transparent fiber of extremely pure glass or plastic, generally between 10 and 200 micrometers in diameter, used especially to carry light signals for telecommunication purposes.

2. See more at fiber optics

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Etymology

Origin of optical fiber

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

The researchers had previously built a precise fiber shaper, a device that allows careful control of laser light traveling through a multimode optical fiber, which is capable of carrying high levels of power.

From Science Daily • Apr. 28, 2026

Corning posted higher first-quarter profit and core results, driven by surging demand for optical fiber in AI data centers and solar business growth.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

By applying this effect to sequences of light pulses, including single photons, the researchers created a system where signals can effectively reconstruct themselves over time as they travel through optical fiber.

From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026

The optical cycle refers to general increases and decreases in demand for optical fiber, a core business for Corning.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

One day, however, your telephone, TV, fax machine and personal computer will be replaced by a single ``information processor'' linked to the worldwide Net by strands of optical fiber.

From Big Dummy's Guide to the Internet by Electronic Frontier Foundation