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

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

Whether or not the AI industry meets its targets for growth, businesses both established and emerging will continue to seek optical fiber of the caliber coming from Corning and a handful of global competitors.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 7, 2026

On top of making glass for iPhone screens, Corning also produces optical fiber and cabling—two in-demand components for AI data centers.

From Barron's • Feb. 6, 2026

In this experiment, the two quantum dots were linked by about 10 meters of optical fiber.

From Science Daily • Nov. 29, 2025

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