Common Senses: Op, Ops, Opt ("Sight")

Learn these words that derive from the Greek root opsis, meaning "sight."

Here are links to the complete set of Common Senses lists:
Hearing: Phon / Aud / Son
Sight: Vid, Vis / Spec, Spect, Spic / Op, Ops, Opt
Touch: Path / Sent, Sens / Tact, Tang
15 words 8582 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. Cyclops
    (Greek mythology) one of a race of giants having a single eye in the middle of their forehead
    In a reassuring voice, James said, “It’s easy to miss stuff like that. That’s why two eyes are better than one. No offense to the Cyclops.” Book Scavenger
    kuklos ("circle") + ops ("eye")
    Cyclopes have enormous strength that can be applied to making weapons and massive stone structures. The legend of the one-eyed Cyclopes might have been inspired by the image of actual blacksmiths wearing a patch over one eye to protect it from fiery sparks at the forge.
  2. triceratops
    huge ceratopsian dinosaur having three horns and the neck heavily armored with a very solid frill
    But Triceratops had a three-horned face, one horn over each eye to protect it in battle and one over the nose. Chaffee, Allen
    tri ("three") + keras ("horn") + ops ("eye")
    The eyes of a triceratops were on the sides of its head to increase the chances of catching sight of predators.
  3. optical
    relating to or using sight
    As I watched, I was never sure if the vague and disjointed performance I was seeing was a kind of optical illusion. The Guardian (Aug 3, 2019)
  4. panoptic
    including everything visible in one view
    His fantasy of the camera as an all-seeing panoptic tool anticipates our age of total surveillance. New York Times (Apr 9, 2011)
    pan ("all") + optikos ("of or having to do with sight")
  5. panopticon
    a circular prison with cells around a surveillance station
    The philosopher Jeremy Bentham was famed for his panopticon, a hypothetical circular prison that was designed in such a way that its inmates never knew whether or not they were being observed. The Guardian (Feb 17, 2019)
  6. optician
    a worker who makes glasses for remedying defects of vision
    Opticians say people are so addicted to smartphones they may be increasing their risk of eye damage. BBC (Mar 28, 2014)
  7. optometrist
    a person skilled in testing for defects of vision
    Even if your eyes look and feel fine, a periodic exam by an optometrist or ophthalmologist is important. Washington Post (Feb 24, 2014)
    optos ("seen") + metron ("measure") + ist (suffix forming nouns who do or make)
    An optometrist does not need a medical license to measure your vision, while an ophthalmologist is a doctor who can perform surgery on your eyes.
  8. ophthalmologist
    a doctor who diagnoses and treats diseases of the eye
    Good optometrists will refer you to an ophthalmologist if the problem is beyond their scope of practice. Washington Post (May 3, 2019)
    ops ("eye") + thalamos ("inner room, chamber") + logy (suffix forming nouns about study or science) + ist (suffix forming nouns who do or make)
    An ophthalmologist is knowledgeable about the entire eye and its functions.
  9. amblyopia
    visual impairment without apparent organic pathology
    An estimated one in 50 children has lazy eye, known medically as amblyopia. BBC (Apr 22, 2013)
    ambly ("dulled, blunt") + ops ("eye") + ia (suffix forming nouns about disease)
  10. diplopia
    visual impairment in which an object is seen as two objects
    Then there were those charges and theories of overstrained eyes, diplopia, and defective focussing, to say nothing of other suggestions. Wicks, Mark
    diplo ("double") + ops ("eye") + ia (suffix forming nouns about disease)
  11. myopia
    eyesight abnormality in which distant objects appear blurred
    In nearly half the cases, eye problems were the sole reason for the procedure, with myopia topping the list of ophthalmological reasons. Nature (Apr 9, 2019)
    myein (to shut) + ops ("eye") + ia (suffix forming nouns about disease)
    Also known as "near-sightedness" in America and "short-sightedness" in England, myopia is often easily corrected with glasses.
  12. autopsy
    an examination and dissection of a dead body
    From there they are moved to the autopsy room where examiners take fingerprints, look for signs of dental work and identifying marks such as tattoos. Time (Apr 3, 2014)
    auto ("self") + opsis ("sight")
    The "self" in autopsy refers to a medical examiner seeing for him- or herself the cause of death.
  13. biopsy
    the removal and examination of tissue from a living body
    Typically the initial positive test is followed by additional screenings or a more invasive biopsy to look for cancer. Reuters (Apr 21, 2014)
    bios ("life") + opsis ("sight")
  14. necropsy
    an examination of a dead body to determine cause of death
    Later, McCay and his colleagues performed necropsies and found that the cartilage of the old rats looked more youthful than it would have otherwise. Seattle Times (May 5, 2014)
    nekros ("dead body") + opsis ("sight")
    A necropsy is the same thing as an autopsy, although necropsy tends to be used for postmortem examinations of animals, while autopsy is typically used for postmortem examinations of people.
  15. synopsis
    a sketchy summary of the main points of an argument
    “That job requires us to evaluate the evidence for ourselves — not the attorney general’s summary, not a substantially redacted synopsis, but the full report and the underlying evidence.” Seattle Times (Apr 3, 2019)
    syn ("together") + opsis ("sight")
Created on Thu May 22 14:34:49 EDT 2014 (updated Tue Aug 20 14:43:12 EDT 2019)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.