Library / English Dictionary

EYE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A small hole or loop (as in a needle)

Example:

the thread wouldn't go through the eye

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("eye" is a kind of...):

hole (an opening deliberately made in or through something)

Holonyms ("eye" is a part of...):

needle (a sharp pointed implement (usually steel))

Derivation:

eyelet (fastener consisting of a metal ring for lining a small hole to permit the attachment of cords or lines)

eyelet (a small hole (usually round and finished around the edges) in cloth or leather for the passage of a cord or hook or bar)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The organ of sight

Synonyms:

eye; oculus; optic

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Hypernyms ("eye" is a kind of...):

receptor; sense organ; sensory receptor (an organ having nerve endings (in the skin or viscera or eye or ear or nose or mouth) that respond to stimulation)

Meronyms (parts of "eye"):

uveoscleral pathway (a tubule that drains excess aqueous humor)

iris (muscular diaphragm that controls the size of the pupil which in turn controls the amount of light that enters the eye; it forms the colored portion of the eye)

crystalline lens; lens; lens of the eye (biconvex transparent body situated behind the iris in the eye; its role (along with the cornea) is to focus light on the retina)

arteria centralis retinae; central artery of the retina (a branch of the ophthalmic artery; enters the eyeball with the optic nerve)

arteria ciliaris; ciliary artery (one of several arteries supplying the choroid coat of the eye)

arteria lacrimalis; lacrimal artery (an artery that originates from the ophthalmic artery and supplies the lacrimal gland and rectal eye muscles and the upper eyelid and the forehead)

lacrimal vein; vena lacrimalis (drains the lacrimal gland; empties into the superior ophthalmic vein)

lacrimal apparatus (the structures that secrete and drain tears from the eye)

retina (the innermost light-sensitive membrane covering the back wall of the eyeball; it is continuous with the optic nerve)

sclera; sclerotic coat (the whitish fibrous membrane (albuginea) that with the cornea forms the outer covering and protection of the eyeball)

musculus sphincter pupillae; pupillary sphincter (a ring of smooth muscle surrounding the iris)

aperture (a natural opening in something)

uvea (the part of the eye that contains the iris and ciliary body and choroid)

cornea (the transparent dome-shaped anterior portion of the outer covering of the eye; it covers the iris and pupil and is continuous with the sclera)

eye muscle; ocular muscle (one of the small muscles of the eye that serve to rotate the eyeball)

eyeball; orb (the ball-shaped capsule containing the vertebrate eye)

conjunctiva (a transparent lubricating mucous membrane that covers the eyeball and the under surface of the eyelid)

nictitating membrane; third eyelid (a protective fold of skin in the eyes of reptiles and birds and some mammals)

epicanthic fold; epicanthus (a vertical fold of skin over the nasal canthus; typical for many east Asian peoples; sometimes occurs in Down's syndrome)

canthus (either of the corners of the eye where the upper and lower eyelids meet)

eyelid; lid; palpebra (either of two folds of skin that can be moved to cover or open the eye)

ciliary body (the part of the tunic of the eye between the choroid coat and the iris)

choroid; choroid coat (a highly vascular membrane in the eye between the retina and the sclera; a dark pigmentation minimizes the scattering of light inside the eye)

Domain usage:

colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "eye"):

naked eye (the eye unaided by any optical instrument that alters the power of vision or alters the apparent size or distance of objects)

peeper (an informal term referring to the eye)

oculus dexter; OD (the right eye)

oculus sinister; OS (the left eye)

ocellus; simple eye; stemma (an eye having a single lens)

compound eye (in insects and some crustaceans: composed of many light-sensitive elements each forming a portion of an image)

Holonyms ("eye" is a part of...):

visual system (the sensory system for vision)

face; human face (the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear)

Derivation:

eye (look at)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Good discernment (either visually or as if visually)

Example:

he has an artist's eye

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("eye" is a kind of...):

discernment; judgement; judgment; sagaciousness; sagacity (the mental ability to understand and discriminate between relations)

Derivation:

eye (look at)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Attention to what is seen

Example:

he tried to catch her eye

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("eye" is a kind of...):

attending; attention (the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others)

Derivation:

eye (look at)

Sense 5

Meaning:

An area that is approximately central within some larger region

Example:

they were in the eye of the storm

Synonyms:

center; centre; eye; heart; middle

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Hypernyms ("eye" is a kind of...):

area; country (a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "eye"):

midstream (the middle of a stream)

seat (a center of authority (as a city from which authority is exercised))

midfield ((sports) the middle part of a playing field (as in football or lacrosse))

medical center (the part of a city where medical facilities are centered)

inner city (the older and more populated and (usually) poorer central section of a city)

hub (a center of activity or interest or commerce or transportation; a focal point around which events revolve)

financial center (the part of a city where financial institutions are centered)

storm center; storm centre (the central area or place of lowest barometric pressure within a storm)

central city; city center; city centre (the central part of a city)

center stage; centre stage (the central area on a theater stage)

Instance hyponyms:

City of London; the City (the part of London situated within the ancient boundaries; the commercial and financial center of London)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Look at

Synonyms:

eye; eyeball

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Hypernyms (to "eye" is one way to...):

look (perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence example:

Sam cannot eye Sue

Derivation:

eye (the organ of sight)

eye (good discernment (either visually or as if visually))

eye (attention to what is seen)

Credits

 Context examples: 

My father's eyes had closed upon the light of this world six months, when mine opened on it.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

With his one eye the elder saw the opportunity.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

Then he surveyed the heavens and ran his eye along the white sky-line to the south.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

Everything was swimming before my eyes, and I turned sick.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

If he could but once set eyes on him, he thought the mystery would lighten and perhaps roll altogether away, as was the habit of mysterious things when well examined.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Tom had leaped at the sound, like a horse at the spur, but Silver had not winked an eye.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

He held up the curtain of the bed; and his eyes, if eyes they may be called, were fixed on me.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

“But how came this?” asked Alleyne, open-eyed with astonishment.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Mr. Mortimer Tregennis was more self-contained than the clergyman, but the twitching of his thin hands and the brightness of his dark eyes showed that they shared a common emotion.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Mastcam sees color very similarly to what human eyes see, although it is actually a little less sensitive to blue than people are.

(Sunset in Mars' Gale Crater, NASA)