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optical

[op-ti-kuh l]
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adjective
  1. of, relating to, or applying 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.
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Origin of optical

First recorded in 1560–70; optic + -al1
Related formsop·ti·cal·ly, adverbnon·op·ti·cal, adjectivenon·op·ti·cal·ly, adverbsub·op·ti·cal, adjectivesub·op·ti·cal·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for optically

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Polarizing contact-lenses—prescription or optically neutral.

    Makers

    Cory Doctorow

  • To use the scientific phrase, they are not optically continuous.

  • The occurrence of hemihedral faces was considered by Pasteur to be a sufficient criterion for an optically active substance.

  • In Fig. 111, are given diagrammatically two isothermal solubility curves for optically active substances.

  • As, for instance, strychnine racemate, a compound of racemic acid with the optically active strychnine.

British Dictionary definitions for optically

optical

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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Derived Formsoptically, adverb
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

Word Origin and History for optically

optical

adj.

1560s, from optic + -al (1). Of abstract art, from 1964. Related: Optically.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
optically in Science

optical

[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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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.