Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
epicanthic fold

epicanthic fold

8.8
Skin fold at the inner corner of the eye common in many East Asian people and some health conditions
  • noun
  • /ˌɛpɪˈkænθɪk foʊld/
  • Specialized
translation icon : pliegue epicántico
  • The doctor noted the presence of an epicanthic fold during the eye examination.
  • a slight epicanthic fold

Examples

  • There were epicanthic folds at the corners of his dark eyes.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Many East Asian individuals are characterized by an epicanthic fold at the inner corner of their eyes.

  • During the cultural festival, we admired the beautiful epicanthic folds of the performers.

Synonyms

epicanthus
vsepicanthic fold
  • Specialized
9.9

A fold of skin on the upper eyelid that partly covers the inner corner of the eye

is specific to many East Asian peoples rather than general ethnic reference

Surface Forms

epicanthic fold singular
epicanthic folds plural

Morphology

epicanthic + fold

The noun 'fold' (a crease) combined with the adjective 'epicanthic' (skin fold at the inner eyelid corner) yields the meaning directly: a specific skin fold at the eye. Although the term is technical, its meaning is compositionally transparent and follows a clear modifier + head pattern that a learner who knows both constituents can infer.

Etymology

The name epicanthic fold describes a small fold of skin that reaches over the inner corner of the eye. That's why it means 'a skin fold at the inner eye corner', a normal feature in many East Asian people and something that can appear in certain medical conditions.