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• optic
  optic

  adjective

  of or relating to the eye or sight.
• Optic
  Optic

  noun

  a device attached to an inverted bottle for dispensing measured quantities of liquid, such as whisky, gin, etc

optic

American  

[op-tik] / ˈɒp tɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to the eye or sight.

2. optical.

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noun

1. the eye.

2. a lens of an optical instrument.

Optic ¹ British  

/ ˈɒptɪk /

noun

1. a device attached to an inverted bottle for dispensing measured quantities of liquid, such as whisky, gin, etc

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optic ² British  

/ ˈɒptɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to the eye or vision

2. a less common word for optical

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noun

1. an informal word for eye 1

optic Scientific  

/ ŏp′tĭk /

1. Relating to or involving the eye or vision.

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Other Word Forms

• interoptic
  adjective
• nonoptic
  adjective
• postoptic
  adjective
• preoptic
  adjective
• suboptic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of optic

1535–45; < Medieval Latin opticus < Greek optikós, equivalent to opt ( ós ) seen (verbid of ópsesthai to see) + -ikos -ic

Explanation

If you describe something as optic, it has something to do with eyes or vision. Your optic nerve, for example, sends information to your brain from your eyes. You'll most often find the adjective optic in anatomy or biology textbooks, describing the parts of an eye, or disorders involving the eye. Your optic disc is a tiny blind spot that all humans have on their eyeballs, and optic neuritis is an inflammation of the optic nerve. When it's a noun, optic is an old-fashioned, jokey way to say "eyeball." Optic comes from the Greek optikos, "of or having to do with sight."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

optic Optic

They also installed advanced sensors that can detect movement up to one-billionth of a meter by using fiber optic cables that can extend or compress if any ground deformation occurs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

The optic nerve then exits through the back of the retina, creating a blind spot just below the horizontal level of the eye where no vision is possible.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026

The two companies also will work to expand Corning’s training program for fiber optic technicians at Catawba Valley Community College.

From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026

Rita Dobrinova, a manager at the Kherson municipal transport company, believes the threat from Russian drones is getting worse, particularly since they started using optic fibre cables, which are immune to jamming.

From BBC ● May 31, 2026

Then she placed her hands, vertically, over her eyes and pressed the heels hard, as though to paralyze the optic nerve and drown all images into a voidlike black.

From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger

Optic fiber is not available off the shelf and likely had to be brought in from abroad, analysts and security officials said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

Searle lives with a rare eyesight condition called Autosomal Dominant Optic Atrophy - which affects vision by causing the optic nerve to become progressively thinner.

From BBC ● Jan. 2, 2026

Fiber Optic Solutions, which produces fiber optic gyroscopes and other equipment, was added in December for its contributions to the Russian military and/or defense industrial base.

From Reuters ● Jun. 12, 2023

Many in the industry are setting up educational programs to train people to work with the fiber, said Jim Hayes, the president of the Santa Monica, California-based Fiber Optic Association.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 13, 2022

Struggling to remove an especially difficult cover, I wondered if the same Liberty paint was used on the campus, or if this "Optic White" was something made exclusively for the government.

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison