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-- answering to duty in intelligent beings. They [the eyes] resign their office and their light. Shak. Hesperus, whose office is to bring Twilight upon the earth. Milton. In this experiment the several intervals of the teeth of the comb do the office of so many prisms. Sir I. Newton.

Copper wire with a strong but light insulation, used in wiring houses, etc.

ischarge, perform, or supply, as an official duty or function. [Obs.] Merely to officiate light Round this opacous earth. Milton.

e state of being opaque; the quality of a body which renders it impervious to the rays of light; want of transparency; opaqueness.

A reflection of a milky or pearly light from the interior of a mineral, as in the moonstone; the state or quality of being opalescent.

Reflecting a milky or pearly light from the interior; having an opaline play of colors.

Impervious to the rays of light; not transparent; as, an opaque substance.

The state or quality of being impervious to light; opacity. Dr. H. More.

first appearance; as, the opening of a speech. The opening of your glory was like that of light. Dryden.

d. Opéra bouffe Etym: [F. opéra opera + bouffe comic, It.buffo], Opera buffa Etym: [It.], light, farcical, burlesque opera. -- Opera box, a partially inclosed portion of the auditorium of an opera house for the use of a small private party. -- Opéra comique Etym: [F.], comic or humorous opera. -- Opera flannel, a li…

A short, light, musical drama.

An instrument for viewing the interior of the eye, particularly the retina. Light is thrown into the eye by a mirror (usually concave) and the interior is then examined with or without the aid of a lens. -- Oph*thal`mo*scop"ic, a.

viz., that they do or do not produce right-handed or left-handed circular polarization of light. -- Optically positive, Optically negative. See under Refraction.

That branch of physical science which treats of the nature and properties of light, the laws of its modification by opaque and transparent bodies, and the phenomena of vision.

An image of external objects fixed on the retina by the photochemical action of light on the visual purple. See Optography.

The production of an optogram on the retina by the photochemical action of light on the visual purple; the fixation of an image in the eye. The object so photographed shows white on a purple or red background. See Visual purple, under Visual.

One of the nymphs of mountains and grottoes. Like a wood nymph light, Oread or Dryad. Milton.

A kind of transparent light muslin.

te is placed horizontally with a vertical lens above. A mirror of peculiar shape reflects light from the entire horizon to the lens, by means of which it is focused upon the plate.

An instrument for exhibiting the repulsive action produced by light or heat in an exhausted vessel; a modification of the radoimeter. W. Crookes.