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

It would, I think, perplex any one, who believes that the plumage of the Argus pheasant was created as we now see it, to account for the imperfect condition of the uppermost ocellus.

From The Descent of Man by Darwin, Charles

I will next describe the other extreme of the series, namely the first trace of an ocellus.

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

A, B, C, D, etc., are dark stripes running obliquely down, each to an ocellus.

From The Descent of Man by Darwin, Charles

The flower was at one time called ocellus, from the eye-shaped markings of its corolla.

From Herbal Simples Approved for Modern Uses of Cure by Fernie, William Thomas

The broken state of the black ring on the upper side of the ocellus in fig.

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