eyespot

[ahy-spot]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a sensory organ of lower animals, having a light-perceiving function.
an eyelike spot, as on the tail of a peacock; eye.
Plant Pathology.��a disease of plants, characterized by elliptical lesions on the leaves and stems, stunting of growth, and rotting, caused by any of several fungi.

eyespot

/ ˈ��ɪˌ��ɒ�� /

noun

a small area of light-sensitive pigment in some protozoans, algae, and other simple organisms
an eyelike marking, as on the wings of certain butterflies

eyespot

An area that is sensitive to light and functions somewhat like an eye, found in certain single-celled organisms as well as many invertebrate animals.
A round marking resembling an eye, as on the tail feather of a peacock.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of eyespot¹

First recorded in 1580–90; eye + spot

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The 30-centimeter-long adult grows out of a larva that is little more than a sesame seed–size blob with an eyespot at one end and a band of cilia around its body.

From

Some of the earliest renditions might have been a simple pit eye, a kind of pit of tissue lined with light receptors, or what scientists call an eyespot, a simple region that detects light.

From

In one large glob of amber, the extended wing of a butterflylike lacewing shows a decoy eyespot that may have helped misdirect predators.

From

Each strip had either no eyespot, an eyespot smaller than the stickleback's own eye, or a larger eyespot.

From

Most species of Chlamydomonas — and I assume C. nivalis is no exception — possess a light-sensitive eyespot containing rhodopsin.

From

eye splice eyes right

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