Go to 'thermo-' entry Go to 'dino-' entry Go to 'chondro-' entry Go to 'aero-' entry Go to '-logy' entry Go to 'thaumato-' entry Go to 'nano-' entry Go to '-sophy' entry Go to 'bucco-' entry Go to '-ism' entry Go to '-lysis' entry Go to 'galacto-' entry Go to '-anthropy' entry Go to 'pneumo-' entry Go to '-ploitation' entry Go to '-lithic' entry Go to '-sepalous' entry Go to 'onco-' entry Go to '-parous' entry Go to 'dermato-' entry Go to 'multi-' entry Go to 'dodeca-' entry Go to '-zoon' entry Go to 'vermi-' entry Go to 'crystallo-' entry Go to 'biblio-' entry Go to 'eco-' entry Go to 'juxta-' entry Go to 'facio-' entry
Affixes: the building blocks of English
Affixes: the building blocks of English
  Home Introduction About the author Types of affixes Thematic indexes Search the site   A B C D E F G H I JK L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z   Previous entry Next entry Up to index of O  

opto- Also opti-.

Vision; light.

[Greek optos, seen.]

Optometry is the occupation of measuring eyesight, prescribing corrective lenses, and detecting eye disease. The form appears in a few terms relating to the use of light in electronics, especially optoelectronics (or optronics), the branch of technology concerned with the inter-conversion of electronics and light; and optocoupler, a device containing light-emitting and light-sensitive components, used to couple isolated circuits.

Words in opti- come from Latin opticus or optica, which derive from the same Greek source. Examples are optic and optical, of or relating to the eye or vision; optics, the scientific study of sight and the behaviour of light; and optician, a person qualified to prescribe and dispense glasses and contact lenses, and to detect eye diseases.

Visit Michael Quinion’s World Wide Words site for 2000+ articles on English!

Copyright © Michael Quinion 2008–. All rights reserved. Page last updated 23 September 2008.
Your comments and suggestions on the site are very welcome.