optic nerve

noun Anatomy.

either one of the second pair of cranial nerves, consisting of sensory fibers that conduct impulses from the retina to the brain.

Origin of optic nerve

First recorded in 1605–15

Words nearby optic nerve

optic decussation, optic disc, optic disk, optic foramen, optic lobe, optic nerve, optic neuritis, optic papilla, optic radiation, optic thalamus, optic tract

British Dictionary definitions for optic nerve

optic nerve

noun

the second cranial nerve, which provides a sensory pathway from the retina to the brain

Medical definitions for optic nerve

optic nerve

n.

A nerve that originates from the retina and passes out of the eye socket to the chiasm, where part of its fibers cross to the opposite side and pass to the geniculate bodies and anterior quadrigeminal body. second cranial nerve

Scientific definitions for optic nerve

optic nerve

Either of the second pair of cranial nerves, which carry sensory information relating to vision from the retina of the eye to the brain. Disease or injury of the optic nerve can result in partial or total blindness.

Cultural definitions for optic nerve

optic nerve

The nerve that carries electrical signals from the retina in the eye to the brain.