ocellus

American  

[oh-sel-uhs] / oʊˈsɛl əs /

noun

plural

ocelli

1. a type of simple eye common to invertebrates, consisting of retinal cells, pigments, and nerve fibers.

2. an eyelike spot, as on a peacock feather.

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ocellus British  

/ ˈɒsɪˌleɪt, ˈɒsɪˌleɪtɪd, ɒˈsɛləs /

noun

1. the simple eye of insects and some other invertebrates, consisting basically of light-sensitive cells

2. any eyelike marking in animals, such as the eyespot on the tail feather of a peacock

3. botany

   1. an enlarged discoloured cell in a leaf

   2. a swelling on the sporangium of certain fungi

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ocellus Scientific  

/ ō-sĕl′əs /

plural

ocelli

1. A small, simple eye or eyespot, found in many invertebrates.

2. A marking that resembles an eye, as on the wings of some butterflies.

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Other Word Forms

• ocellar adjective
• ocellate adjective
• ocellation noun

Etymology

Origin of ocellus

1810–20; < Latin: little eye, diminutive of oculus eye; -elle

Example Sentences

Retinula -ae: the retina of a single ocellus: the nerve fibres or cells between pigment cells and retina of the compound eye.

From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by Smith, John. B.

In cases like these, the development of a perfect ocellus does not require a long course of variation and selection.

From The Descent of Man by Darwin, Charles

A, B, C, &c., dark stripes running obliquely down, each to an ocellus.

From The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex Volume II (1st Edition) by Darwin, Charles

This border in P. chinquis shades into brown, edged with cream colour, so that the ocellus is here surrounded with variously shaded, though not bright, concentric zones.

From The Descent of Man by Darwin, Charles

This white shade itself is not as yet much concentrated; and beneath it the surface is brighter coloured than in a perfect ball-and-socket ocellus.

From The Descent of Man by Darwin, Charles