cornea

noun

cor·​nea ˈkȯr-nē-ə 

: the transparent part of the coat of the eyeball that covers the iris and pupil and admits light to the interior see eye illustration

corneal

ˈkȯr-nē-əl 

adjective

Examples of cornea in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Contact lenses containing a hydrogel that allows more oxygen to reach the cornea can also help to stave off damage from UV, Rodrigo Comino says. —Sanket Jain, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 May 2025

This can happen because your eye is too short front-to-back or because of irregularities in the shape of your cornea or lens, two other parts of the eye.4 What Is Astigmatism? —Kelly Burch Published, Verywell Health, 6 May 2025

Keratoconus causes the cornea to thin and weaken, leading to vision distortion, not ideal for someone hitting baseballs for a living. —Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2025

Visual field changes may arise because the procedure can flatten the dome of the cornea, Boxer Wachler explains. —Saima S. Iqbal, Scientific American, 8 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Medieval Latin (short for cornea tēla "horny web," cornea tunica "horny covering," translating Greek kerātoeidḕs chitṓn), from feminine of Latin corneus "horny" — more at corneous

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

cornea

noun

cor·​nea ˈkȯr-nē-ə 

: the transparent part of the coat of the eyeball that covers the iris and pupil and lets light through to the interior

corneal

-nē-əl 

adjective

Medical Definition

cornea

noun

cor·​nea ˈkȯr-nē-ə 

: the transparent part of the coat of the eyeball that covers the iris and pupil and admits light to the interior

corneal

-əl 

adjective