nasal canthus

9.9

The inner corner of the eye where the top and bottom eyelids meet near the nose

noun
/ˈneɪ.zəl ˈkæn.θəs/

Specialized

: canto nasal

Tears typically collect in the nasal canthus before draining through the tear ducts.

Examples

She noticed redness and swelling in her right nasal canthus.
The nasal canthus is an important landmark in eye anatomy.
During the examination, the doctor inspected both the lateral and nasal canthus for signs of infection.
He noticed irritation at his nasal canthus after using the new eye drops.
During the examination, the doctor inspected both the lateral and nasal canthus for signs of infection.
She noticed redness and swelling in her right nasal canthus.
Tears typically collect in the nasal canthus before draining through the tear ducts.

Synonyms

canthus

vsnasal canthus

Specialized

1 9.9

The corner of the eye where the upper and lower eyelids meet

refers only to the corner next to the nose

Surface Forms

nasal canthus singular

nasal canthi plural

Morphology

nasal + canthus

This is a straightforward compositional anatomical term: 'nasal' (relating to the nose) modifies 'canthus' (the corner of the eye), so together they yield 'the corner of the eye near the nose'. Although 'canthus' is somewhat technical, if a learner knows both constituent meanings the overall sense is directly predictable and follows normal adjective+noun composition.

Etymology

Nasal canthus comes from a simple picture: nasal means 'of the nose' and canthus means 'corner'. So it refers to the 'inner corner' of the eye next to the nose where the upper and lower eyelids meet and tears often collect.