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Glite Dictionary
🧴 A small eye cup 🧬 Retina structure
eyecup

eyecup

9.9
A cup in an embryo with two layers that becomes the retina, the part of the eye that senses light
  • noun
  • /ˈaɪˌkʌp/
  • Specialized
translation icon : copa óptica
  • The inner and outer layers of the eyecup differentiate into the sensory and pigmented tissues of the retina.

Examples

  • Scientists observed the formation of the eyecup under a microscope in the early stages of eye development.

  • During embryonic development, the eyecup gives rise to the retina's important layers.

  • The eyecup develops during the early stages of embryology.

  • Researchers study the eyecup to understand retinal formation.

  • During embryonic development, the eyecup forms the crucial layers needed for the retina.

  • Scientists studied the eyecup to learn how the retina's sensory and pigmented layers develop.

  • In embryology, the eyecup is essential for creating the retina's structure.

Synonyms

optic cup
vseyecup
  • Specialized
8.4

A two-layer cup in a developing embryo that becomes the retina's dark and light-sensing layers

is the identical concept but expressed with an alternative term

Surface Forms

eyecup singular
eyecups plural

Morphology

eyecup = eye + cup (semi-transparent) = eye + cup

Formally a compound 'eye' + 'cup', but the meaning is technical (embryological structure) and may not be obvious to an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Eyecup in biology is named for its shape: the early eye makes a small, two-layer 'cup' that later becomes the colored and light-sensing parts of the retina.