Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
optical bench

optical bench

7.5
A long fixed bar that holds lenses and mirrors for experiments
  • noun
  • /ˈɑptɪkəl bɛnʧ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : banco óptico
  • The students conducted various experiments using the optical bench to measure light refraction.

Examples

  • She carefully arranged the lenses on the optical bench to observe the behavior of a light beam.

  • It includes a CCD video camera, image analysis software, optical bench, and light source.

    Academic text (2005)

  • In the physics lab, the optical bench was essential for demonstrating how lenses focus light.

Synonyms

bench
vsoptical bench
41 1.2

A strong table used for building or fixing things in a workshop

is a rigid support designed to hold lenses and mirrors for precise light experiments
lab bench
vsoptical bench
  • Specialized
2 2.8

A long sturdy table in a lab used for experiments

is a rigid support for mounting lenses and measuring light precisely
laboratory bench
vsoptical bench
  • Specialized
3.7

A strong table in a lab where people do experiments

is a rigid support mainly for mounting lenses and precise light measurement

Surface Forms

optical bench singular
optical benches plural

Morphology

optical + bench

The meaning 'a rigid support used for mounting optical components' is directly derivable from combining 'optical' (relating to light/vision) with 'bench' (a work table/support). This straightforward noun-noun composition describes a bench used for optical work and is cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

The noun optical bench comes from a simple picture: a bench, 'a long, strong table', used for optical work with lenses and mirrors. Scientists put lenses and mirrors on the bench to line them up and measure light, so the name now means 'a support for observing and measuring light'.