oculist
1
8.6
- noun
- /ˈɑːkjəlɪst/
- Archaic
:
oculista
- At about eight years old, he goes to the oculist, and one of the tests he is made to do "to find out about his coordination" is to look down something like a telescope and, with his hands, put the dog he sees into the cage that he sees.
Examples
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He does this successfully and with real pleasure; and the oculist, a "benign man," says to him, "Well, you'll never be able to join the RAF!"
Academic text (1992) -
This fantastic farm... ...was ever watched by Dr. T.J. Eckleburg... ...a forgotten oculist whose eyes brooded over it all... ...like the eyes... ...of God.
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I suppose you will be sending me to an oculist next.
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You must give me the name of your oculist.
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The oculist with bad breath and two left hands, both of which tend to wander.
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The oculist told you you don't need these anymore.
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l don't need an oculist.
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And you know, the oculists say it's very soothing to the eye.
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About halfway between the two Eggs and New York, the motor road hastily joins the rail road and runs beside it a short distance, presided over by the eyes of Doctor T J Eckleburg, set there by some wild wag of an oculist to fatten his practice in Queens.
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After my eye exam, the oculist recommended new glasses for better vision.
Synonyms
16
2.8
A doctor who checks and treats problems with the eyes
12
7.8
A doctor who treats eye problems and performs eye surgery
Surface Forms
Morphology
oculist = eye (semi-transparent) = ocul + ist
The meaning 'eye specialist' is predictable from the combining form meaning 'eye' plus the agent suffix '-ist', but the combining form 'ocul-' is not a common standalone English word and may not be recognized by learners.
Etymology
Oculist comes from the Latin word oculus meaning 'eye' and the ending -ist meaning 'person who does something'. So an oculist is a doctor who cares for the 'eye', and you can see the same root in ocular and binocular.