oculus

American  

[ok-yuh-luhs] / ˈɒk yə ləs /

noun

plural

oculi

1. an eye.

2. Architecture. a circular opening, especially one at the apex of a dome.

3. Archaeology. a design representing an eye, as on funerary pottery found in megalithic tombs of Europe.

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Etymology

Origin of oculus

< New Latin, Latin: eye

Example Sentences

A large open-air square, which Halsey calls an oculus, contains carvings of neighborhood landmarks, faces, signs and symbols.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026

At ground level, a circular port called an oculus will allow passersby to peer into a 325,000-gallon coral canyon teeming with thousands of fish and invertebrates.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 28, 2022

An oculus high on the rear wall bubbles with lava-lamp ooze.

From New York Times • Aug. 12, 2022

Titled “Pulling the Sun Back — Xa’aa Peshii Nehiino Taamet,” it was broadly inspired by Indigenous architectures and cosmologies and featured an oculus that framed the sun.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 6, 2022

I glance over my shoulder to see if Killer Man is giving me the evil oculus, but he is not so much as looking in my direction.

From "The Misfits" by James Howe