photic

[ foh-tik ]

adjective

1. of or relating to light.
2. pertaining to the generation of light by organisms, or their excitation by means of light.

photic

/ ˈfəʊtɪk /

adjective

1. of or concerned with light
2. biology of or relating to the production of light by organisms
3. Alsophotobathic designating the zone of the sea where photosynthesis takes place

photic

/ fō′tĭk /

1. Of or relating to light.
2. Penetrated by or receiving light.
3. Relating to the layer of a body of water that is penetrated by sufficient sunlight for photosynthesis. The depth of the photic zone is dependent on the clarity of the water and the amount and intensity of direct sunlight, although it does not usually exceed 200 m.
4. Also called euphotic
5. Compare aphotic

Word History and Origins

Origin of photic¹

1835–45; < Greek phōt- ( phot ) + -ic

Word History and Origins

Origin of photic¹

C19: from photo- + -ic

Example Sentences

The region starts about 1,000 feet down — just beneath the photic zone, which gets enough sunlight to support photosynthesis and most of the sea’s plants — and descends for miles.

From New York Times

One group for which photic sneezing it is not benign is fighter pilots, a 1993 study found.

From New York Times

One inherited kind of sneezing, photic sneezing, occurs upon sudden exposure to bright light.

From New York Times

The fluorescent glow comes primarily from the stony corals and anemones, some of which glow wildly under our custom-made spectrally pure blue light source; others, curiously, exhibit no photic response.

From New York Times

At a DDX, House settles on a diagnosis of photic epilepsy, meaning the seizure would have been triggered by flickering light.

From Time