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OPTICS
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Optical properties
Example:
the optics of a telescope
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("optics" is a kind of...):
property (a basic or essential attribute shared by all members of a class)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The branch of physics that studies the physical properties of light
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("optics" is a kind of...):
natural philosophy; physics (the science of matter and energy and their interactions)
Domain member category:
meniscus ((optics) a lens that is concave on one side and convex on the other)
stigmatism ((optics) condition of an optical system (as a lens) in which light rays from a single point converge in a single focal point)
astigmatism; astigmia ((optics) defect in an optical system in which light rays from a single point fail to converge in a single focal point)
collimate (adjust the line of sight of (an optical instrument))
refract (subject to refraction)
reflect (show an image of)
resolve (make clearly visible)
aberrate (diverge or deviate from the straight path; produce aberration)
bifocal (having two foci)
aplanatic (free from or corrected for spherical aberration)
apochromatic (corrected for both chromatic and spherical aberration)
aspheric; aspherical (varying slightly from a perfectly spherical shape)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "optics"):
catoptrics (branch of optics dealing with formation of images by mirrors)
holography (the branch of optics that deals with the use of coherent light from a laser in order to make a hologram that can then be used to create a three-dimensional image)
Derivation:
optical (of or relating to or involving light or optics)
