walleyed

[ wawl-ahyd ]

adjective

1. having eyes in which there is an abnormal amount of the white showing, because of divergent strabismus.
2. having large, staring eyes, as some fishes.
3. marked by excited or agitated staring of the eyes, as in fear, rage, frenzy, or the like:

   He stood there in walleyed astonishment.

4. having an eye or the eyes presenting little or no color, as the result of a light-colored or white iris or of white opacity of the cornea.

Word History and Origins

Origin of walleyed¹

1300–50; Middle English wawileghed, waugle eghed < Old Norse vagleygr, equivalent to vagl- (meaning uncertain; compare Icelandic vagl film over the eye) + -eygr -eyed; eye; compare Old English waldenīge

Example Sentences

He was getting walleyed, one eye on the formation, the other on the skeleton.

From Project Gutenberg

Youd think him and that walleyed, cross-grained son-of-a-gun had been kind and lovin mates these many years.

From Project Gutenberg