macula
Americannoun
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maculae
plural
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a spot or blotch, especially on one's skin; macule.
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Ophthalmology.
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an opaque spot on the cornea.
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Also called macula lutea, yellow spot. an irregularly oval, yellow-pigmented area on the central retina, containing color-sensitive rods and the central point of sharpest vision.
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noun
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a small spot or area of distinct colour, esp the macula lutea
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any small discoloured spot or blemish on the skin, such as a freckle
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maculae
plural
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A minute yellowish area located near the center of the retina of the eye, at which visual perception is most acute.
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A discolored spot on the skin that is not elevated above the surface.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of macula
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin: spot, blemish
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Age-related macular degeneration is a condition that gradually damages the macula, the small but vital area at the back of the eye that supports sharp central vision.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 22, 2025
As chair of her local macula support group, she said many in her position share the same concerns.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2024
Excessive vascular growth damages the macula, the part of the eye that translates light into image signals.
From Science Daily ● May 2, 2024
But mouse retinas lack the macula, a key region found in human eyes that picks out fine details, so they are not an ideal model.
From Scientific American ● Aug. 8, 2022
Gibbous: hump-backed; protuberant: said of a macula when it resembles a moon more than half full.
From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by John. B. Smith
Figure 14.11 Linear Acceleration Coding by Maculae The maculae are specialized for sensing linear acceleration, such as when gravity acts on the tilting head, or if the head starts moving in a straight line.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
Many nevertheless possess stereoscopic vision which they get by virtue of the fact that they have two maculae ... in each eye.
From Time Magazine Archive
These become fused into crimson, slightly raised maculae, which in severe cases become further fused into red thickened patches, in which the papules can still be felt and sometimes seen.
From Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine by Walter L. (Walter Lytle) Pyle
These are the cerebral maculae of Trousseau; and they indicate, as Dr. Browne remarks, a highly modified condition of the cutaneous vascular system.
From The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals by Charles Darwin
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