Dictionary.com

optics

[ op-tiks ]
/ ˈɒp tɪks /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR optics

noun

(used with a singular verb) the branch of physical science that deals with the properties and phenomena of both visible and invisible light and with vision.
(used with a plural verb) the way a situation, action, event, etc., is perceived by the public or by a particular group of people: The optics on this issue are pretty good for the Democrats.Administrators worry about the bad optics of hiring new staff during a budget crisis.

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Origin of optics

1605–15; <Medieval Latin optica<Greek optiká, noun use of neuter plural of optikós;see optic, -ics

Words nearby optics

opticociliary, opticokinetic nystagmus, opticopupillary, optic papilla, optic radiation, optics, optic thalamus, optic tract, optic vesicle, optimal, optime
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to optics

eyesight, perception, view, glass, seeing, sight, faculty, eyes, spectacles, contact, optic, monocle, meniscus, ocular, blinder, lamp, headlight, oculus, peeper, eyeball

Example sentences from the Web for optics

British Dictionary definitions for optics

optics
/ (ˈɒptɪks) /

noun

(functioning as singular) the branch of science concerned with vision and the generation, nature, propagation, and behaviour of electromagnetic light
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

Medical definitions for optics

optics
[ ŏp′tĭks ]

n.

The science concerned with the properties of light, its refraction and absorption, and the refracting media of the eye.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for optics

optics
[ ŏp′tĭks ]

The scientific study of light and vision. The study of optics led to the development of more general theories of electromagnetic radiation and theories of color.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for optics

optics

The branch of physics dealing with light. (See electromagnetic waves, laser, lens, reflection, and refraction.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.