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# optic

adjective (optic); noun (an optic, optics)

«optic» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (adjective) To do with the eye or sight: «the optic nerve». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/optic/#m1)
2. (optics, uncountable) The science of light and how it behaves, including lenses and mirrors. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/optic/#m2)
3. (noun, UK) A device fixed to a bottle to pour out a measured amount of drink. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/optic/#m3)
4. (optics, informal) How something looks to the public. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/optic/#m4)
5. An optic is an old or poetic word for an eye. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/optic/#m5)

### In the lessons

In science: the optic nerve carries messages from the eye to the brain; optics studies how light reflects and refracts. «Fibre optic» (fiber optic) cables carry internet signals as light through thin glass threads. Phrases: «optic nerve», «fibre optic», «optics».

### Examples

- The optic nerve sends signals from your eye to your brain. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/optic/#x1)
- Fibre optic cables carry information as light. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/optic/#x2)
- Optics is the science of light. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/optic/#x3)
- Lenses in glasses are part of optics. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/optic/#x4)
- The doctor checked my optic nerve. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/optic/#x5)
- Fibre optic lamps glow at the tips. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/optic/#x6)
- But the eagle-eyed watcher watched until his eyes narrowed and became pin-points, and he ceased to be a man and became an optic. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/optic/#x7)

### Note

More common is the adjective «optical» (optical illusion). «Optics» ends in s but is singular as a science: «Optics is…». Spelling: fibre optic (UK) / fiber optic (US). Related: optician (eye-test shop worker).

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «optic» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/optic/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«optic» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/optic.html) on Mova free.