compound eye

noun

: an eye (as of an insect) made up of many separate visual units

Examples of compound eye in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Zayn Malik Postpones Shows, Cowell And Cole React The shrimp’s compound eyes (ours are only simple—they aren’t made up of other eyes like compound eyes are) are also set on stalks that can move independently of each other, which gives them a nearly 360-degree view of their surroundings. Scott Travers, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024 The data group is developing a compound eye in computer. Richard Meng, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024 Though soft tissue was not preserved, spherical outlines suggest an eye on each side of the head, though whether these were compound eyes is unknown. Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 11 Aug. 2024 In recent decades, researchers have discovered impressive navigation skills in various birds, in seals, even in a few insects — the latter of which have low-resolution compound eyes. Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024 The compound eyes of an insect are structurally very different from that of a human—almost a separate category of organ altogether from the more familiar ocular arrangement of lens, cornea, iris, and retina. IEEE Spectrum, 24 Nov. 2023 Biologists now think that a sea urchin’s entire body functions as one big compound eye, where photosensitive tissue inside the exoskeleton picks up light that’s filtered by the radiating spines. Eliza Strickland, Discover Magazine, 8 Feb. 2010 Building on earlier work modeling a camera on the shape of a human eye, Rogers and his team recently unveiled a camera inspired by an insect’s compound eye. Valerie Ross, Discover Magazine, 19 Nov. 2013 Put someone onstage with a mike and an audience and all those eyeballs shine back—a big compound eye, insectile and glittering. Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1836, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of compound eye was in 1836

Dictionary Entries Near compound eye

Cite this Entry

“Compound eye.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compound%20eye. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

compound eye

noun
: an eye (as of an insect) made up of many separate visual units

More from Merriam-Webster on compound eye

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!