Medicine & BodyGreek → English
Optometry
/ɒpˈtɒmɪtri/noun
The profession of examining eyes, testing vision, and prescribing lenses and corrective treatment.
The Greek roots
ὀπτός
optós
seen, visible
μέτρον
métron
measure
Literally: “measuring of sight”
The story of the word
The instrument came first. An optometer for gauging the eye's focal range was described in the 1730s, and the practice took its name from the device rather than the other way round. The Greek stem here is the one behind optic and autopsy, which literally means seeing for yourself.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → scientific coinage → English
- First recorded
- 19th century
Same family
opticautopsysynopsisdioptre
In a sentence
He switched from physics to optometry in his second year.
The optometry clinic runs free screenings for schoolchildren every autumn.