What does "optic" mean?
Optic: An eyeglass. [Obs.] Herbert.
Additional senses
- 2.Of or pertaining to vision or sight. The moon, whose orb Through optic glass the Tuscan artist views. Milton.
- 3.Of or pertaining to the eye; ocular; as, the optic nerves (the first pair of cranial nerves) which are distributed to the retina. See Illust. of Brain, and Eye.
- 4.Relating to the science of optics; as, optical works. Optic angle (Opt.), the angle included between the optic axes of the two eyes when directed to the same point; -- sometimes called binocular parallax. -- Optic axis. (Opt.) (a) A line drawn through the center of the eye perpendicular to its anterior and posterior surfaces. In a normal eye it is in the direction of the optic axis that objects are most distinctly seen. (b) The line in a doubly refracting crystal, in the direction of which no double refraction occurs. A uniaxial crystal has one such line, a biaxial crystal has two. -- Optical circle (Opt.), a graduated circle used for the measurement of angles in optical experiments. -- Optical square, a surveyor's instrument with reflectors for laying off right angles.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
- Canonical URL: https://worddirectanswers.com/answers/what-does-optic-mean
- Steward: Jason Burns
- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00