saccade

[ sa-kahd, suh- ]

/ sæˈkɑd, sə- /

noun

the act of checking a horse quickly with a single strong pull of the reins.

Ophthalmology. the series of small, jerky movements of the eyes when changing focus from one point to another.

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Words nearby saccade

sac fungus, sac-a-lait, sacajawea, sacaton, sacc, saccade, saccadic, saccate, sacchar-, saccharase, saccharate

Origin of saccade

1720–30; < French saccade jerk, jolt, orig., movement of a horseman who abruptly pulls the reins, equivalent to Middle French saqu(er) to pull violently (N dialectal variant of Old French sachier, ultimately derivative of sac sack¹, hence presumably with sense “withdraw from a sack”) + -ade -ade¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for saccades

saccade

/ (səˈkɑːd, -ˈkeɪd) /

noun

the movement of the eye when it makes a sudden change of fixation, as in reading

a sudden check given to a horse

Word Origin for saccade

C18: from French: a jerk on the reins of a horse

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for saccades

saccade

[ să-käd′, sə- ]

n.

A rapid intermittent eye movement, as that which occurs when the eyes fix on one point after another in the visual field.

Other words from saccade

sac•cad′ic (-kä′dĭk) adj.