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Glite Dictionary
chemosis

chemosis

1 9.9
A swelling of the clear tissue that covers the white of the eye and lines the eyelids
  • noun
  • /kiˈmoʊsɪs/
  • Specialized
: quemosis
  • The doctor explained that chemosis can cause the eyes to look swollen and jelly-like.

Examples

  • After the allergic reaction, she experienced chemosis, making her eyelids appear puffy.

  • Orbital cellulitis (stage II) manifests as eyelid swelling, proptosis, and chemosis, with limited or no impairment of extraocular movement.

    Academic text (2002)

  • He was diagnosed with chemosis, which made the conjunctiva of his eye look unusually swollen.

Surface Forms

chemosis singular
chemoses plural

Morphology

chemosis = chem + osis

A specialised medical formation (combining form + -osis); the combining form is not a common standalone English word and the meaning cannot be reliably derived by a B1 learner from the parts.

Etymology

The word chemosis uses the medical ending -osis, which means 'condition', so chemosis is the condition when the thin lining covering the eye fills with fluid and swells into a soft, jelly-like bump, which is why it means this kind of eye swelling.