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Glite Dictionary
👁️ Eye-like marking 🦟 Simple eye
ocellus

ocellus

9.9
A spot on an animal that looks like an eye, often on feathers or wings
  • noun
  • /əˈsɛləs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : ocelo
  • Each feather of the peacock features a distinctive blue and green ocellus.

Examples

  • The butterfly's wings displayed a bright ocellus that resembled a real eye to scare off predators.

  • The butterfly has a beautiful ocellus on its wing.

  • Some fish have a black ocellus near their tails to confuse attackers.

  • Peacocks display their feathers, showcasing many ocelli.

  • The butterfly's wings are decorated with bright ocelli that attract the attention of passersby.

  • Each peacock feather displays a stunning ocellus that resembles an eye, making it a popular subject for photographers.

  • As the moth fluttered by, its ocelli shimmered in the sunlight, creating an illusion of larger eyes to deter predators.

Synonyms

eyespot
vsocellus
1 7.4

A round mark like an eye on an animal that scares or confuses predators

has the same meaning but is expressed as a different single word

How Eye-Like

ocellus
  • Specialized
9.9
eyespot
1 7.4
marking
69 3.0
spot
297 1.0
speck
66 1.3

Surface Forms

ocellus singular
ocelli plural

Etymology

Ocellus comes from the Latin oculus 'eye' plus the small ending -ellus 'little', so it literally means 'little eye'. That's why an ocellus often means a spot on a feather or wing that looks like a small eye and can scare or fool attackers.