Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
limbus

limbus

1 9.9
A border where one body part meets another, for example where the cornea meets the white of the eye
  • noun
  • /ˈlɪmbəs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : limbo
  • The doctor pointed to the limbus of the eye, explaining its role in maintaining the health of the cornea.

Examples

  • Once the eye's surface is numbed, and the lids are clamped open, the surgeon imprints a pattern on the limbus, then traces it with a tiny scalpel.

    Academic text (2007)

  • During the examination, the optometrist noted that the limbus was clearly defined around the iris.

  • You dare to steal truth from my lips by feeding me limbus grass?

    Stardust (2007)

  • This one particularly is brilliant to show how the limbus line on an eyeball hangs over the top of the iris.

  • In botany, the limbus refers to the distinct edge where a leaf's color changes from green to yellow.

Surface Forms

limbus singular
limbi plural

Etymology

The word limbus comes from Latin limbus, meaning 'edge' or 'border', and is the same idea behind English limbo, which is an in-between place at the edge of something. So doctors use limbus to name the clear border where two body parts meet, for example where the cornea meets the white of the eye.