Optics

//ˈɒptɪks// noun

noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The physics of light and vision: basic optical science. uncountable

    "a PhD in the optics of liquid crystals"

  2. 2
    plural of optic form-of, plural
  3. 3
    optical properties wordnet
  4. 4
    Technology that makes use of such physics: applied optical science; business lines making use of such technology. uncountable

    "defense R&D investments in both optics and electronics"

  5. 5
    the branch of physics that studies the physical properties of light wordnet
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  1. 6
    The light-related aspects of a device. uncountable

    "the optics of liquid crystals under certain laboratory conditions"

  2. 7
    Perception, image, public relations, especially in politics. figuratively, uncountable

    "Near-synonyms: appearances, spectacle, theatrics; choreography"

Synonyms

All synonyms
;acousticsactinologyactinometryaerophysicsappearances

Example

More examples

"His study of optics led him to the invention of the magnifying glass."

Etymology

From Medieval Latin opticus (“optic, optical”), from Ancient Greek ὀπτικός (optikós), equivalent to optic + -ics.

Related phrases

adaptive opticsconformal opticsfiber opticsfiber-opticsfibre opticsfibre-opticsfolded opticsneutron opticspublic relations

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.