pinkeye

5 3.8

A contagious infection of the eye that makes it red and produces sticky discharge

noun
/ˈpɪŋkaɪ/

: conjuntivitis

The doctor diagnosed her with pinkeye, which caused her eyes to become red and swollen.

Examples

The whippet seems to have pinkeye, as of this evening.

Blog text (32)
There's nothing funny about sinus infections, bronchitis... strep throat or pinkeye.

No Escape (1994)
I think he might have pinkeye or something.

Everybody Wants to Be Italian (2007)
Glad the pinkeye is under control.

Spy (2015)
Jesus, Cooper, do you have pinkeye?

Spy (2015)
Believe me, a bad case of pinkeye, and you're history.

No Escape (1994)
No, it's not pinkeye, ma'am.

Spy (2015)
I'm infected, but it's pinkeye.

Navy Seals vs. Zombies (2016)
I think you're getting pinkeye.

Spy (2015)
You really shouldn't have done that, because Franny had pinkeye this weekend.

Saint Frances (2020)

Synonyms

conjunctivitis

vspinkeye

Specialized

4 5.5

Red, sore eyes that feel itchy and often have a watery or sticky fluid

is contagious and often produces discharge rather than only discomfort

ophthalmia

vspinkeye

Specialized

9.9

A severe eye condition that makes the eye red, sore, and swollen

is a less severe inflammation of the same eye lining

ophthalmitis

vspinkeye

Specialized

9.9

A condition that causes severe redness, swelling, and pain in the eye

is limited to the outer lining rather than the whole eyeball

How Severe

pinkeye

5 3.8

red eye

3 3.4

Surface Forms

pinkeye singular

pinkeyes plural

Morphology

pinkeye = pink + eye (transparent) = pink + eye

Composition of 'pink' + 'eye' yields the straightforward sense 'an eye that is pink/red', which corresponds to conjunctivitis.

Etymology

Pinkeye is simply pink + eye, because the eye turns 'pink' or 'red' when it is infected. So, pinkeye means an eye infection that makes the eye look red and feel itchy or produce discharge.