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Glite Dictionary
tear sac

tear sac

7.2
A small pouch near the inner corner of the eye that collects tears before they drain into the nose
  • noun
  • /tɪr sæk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : saco lagrimal
  • When the tear sac is blocked, it can cause excessive tearing.

Examples

  • The tear sac collects excess tears produced by the lacrimal glands.

  • It is usually caused by blockage of the duct that carries tears from the tear sac to the nose.

    Academic text (2009)

  • During an eye exam, the doctor checked the tear sac for any signs of infection.

Synonyms

dacryocyst
vstear sac
  • Specialized
9.9

A small sac at the inner corner of the eye that collects tears

means the same but is an alternative term
lacrimal sac
vstear sac
  • Specialized
7.5

A small pouch at the inner corner of the eye that collects tears before they go to the nose

is the dilated duct end that collects tears directly from glands

Surface Forms

tear sac singular
tear sacs plural

Morphology

tear + sac

The meaning 'a pouch that collects tears' is directly derivable from combining 'tear' (tear fluid) with 'sac' (a pouch or fluid-containing anatomical structure). This noun–noun compositional pattern is a straightforward, cross-linguistically common way to name body parts, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Tear sac is a name from a simple image: tear is the eye fluid and sac means a small bag near the inner corner of the eye. This little bag 'collects' tears before they 'drain' into the nose, so the name shows its job.