retinal rod
- noun
- /ˈrɛtɪnəl rɒd/
- Specialized
:
bastón retinal
- The presence of many retinal rods in the eye allows for improved vision at dusk.
Examples
-
A second fortuitous factor arose from the then-unknown physiology of the retinal rods and cones.
Academic text (1995) -
Researchers find retinal rods able to detect photon number distribution
Blog text (8) -
In low-light conditions, the retinal rod cells enable us to see shades of grey.
-
Scientists study how retinal rods respond to different light levels to understand night vision.
Synonyms
24
7.5
A light sensitive cell in the eye that helps you see in dim light
A tiny part at the back of the eye that helps you see in low light
Antonyms
How Light-Sensitive
- Specialized
- Specialized
1
6.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is directly compositional: 'retinal' means relating to the retina and 'rod' is a photoreceptor cell, so the combined meaning (a rod cell in the retina sensitive to low light) follows straightforwardly from the parts. This adjective+noun pattern is cross-linguistically common and thus a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the meaning.
Etymology
Retinal rod comes from the cell's shape and place in the eye: it looks like a thin rod, a small stick, and it sits in the retina at the back of the eye. Because of this shape and place, retinal rods are good at sensing 'low light', so the name links to their role in 'night vision'.