Eye (ī), n. [OE. eghe,
eighe, eie, eye, AS. eÁge; akin
to OFries. āge, OS. ōga, D. oog,
Ohg. ouga, G. auge, Icel. auga, Sw.
öga, Dan. öie, Goth. augō; cf.
OSlav. oko, Lith. akis, L. okulus, Gr.
'o`kkos, eye, 'o`sse, the two eyes, Skr.
akshi. √10, 212. Cf. Diasy, Ocular,
Optic, Eyelet, Ogle.] 1.
The organ of sight or vision. In man, and the vertebrates
generally, it is properly the movable ball or globe in the orbit, but
the term often includes the adjacent parts. In most invertebrates the
eyes are immovable ocelli, or compound eyes made up of numerous
ocelli. See Ocellus.
Description of illustration: a b Conjunctiva;
c Cornea; d Sclerotic; e Choroid; f
Cillary Muscle; g Cillary Process; h Iris; i
Suspensory Ligament; k Prosterior Aqueous Chamber between
h and i; l Anterior Aqueous Chamber; m
Crystalline Lens; n Vitreous Humor; o Retina; p
Yellow spot; q Center of blind spot; r Artery of Retina
in center of the Optic Nerve.
☞ The essential parts of the eye are inclosed in a tough
outer coat, the sclerotic, to which the muscles moving it are
attached, and which in front changes into the transparent cornea. A
little way back of cornea, the crystalline lens is suspended,
dividing the eye into two unequal cavities, a smaller one in front
filled with a watery fluid, the aqueous humor, and larger one
behind filled with a clear jelly, the vitreous humor. The
sclerotic is lined with a highly pigmented membrane, the
choroid, and this is turn is lined in the back half of the
eyeball with the nearly transparent retina, in which the
fibers of the optic nerve ramify. The choroid in front is continuous
with the iris, which has a contractile opening in the center,
the pupil, admitting light to the lens which brings the rays
to a focus and forms an image upon the retina, where the light,
falling upon delicate structures called rods and cones, causes
them to stimulate the fibres of the optic nerve to transmit
visual impressions to the brain.
2. The faculty of seeing; power or range of
vision; hence, judgment or taste in the use of the eye, and in
judging of objects; as, to have the eye of a sailor; an
eye for the beautiful or picturesque.
3. The action of the organ of sight; sight,
look; view; ocular knowledge; judgment; opinion.
In my eye, she is the sweetest lady that I
looked on.
Shak.
4. The space commanded by the organ of sight;
scope of vision; hence, face; front; the presence of an object which
is directly opposed or confronted; immediate presence.
We shell express our duty in his
eye.
Shak.
Her shell your hear disproved to her
eyes.
Shak.
5. Observation; oversight; watch; inspection;
notice; attention; regard. "Keep eyes upon her."
Shak.
Booksellers . . . have an eye to their own
advantage.
Addison.
6. That which resembles the organ of sight,
in form, position, or appearance; as: (a)
(Zoöl.) The spots on a feather, as of peacock.
(b) The scar to which the adductor muscle is
attached in oysters and other bivalve shells; also, the adductor
muscle itself, esp. when used as food, as in the scallop.
(c) The bud or sprout of a plant or tuber; as,
the eye of a potato. (d) The center
of a target; the bull's-eye. (e) A small
loop to receive a hook; as, hooks and eyes on a dress.
(f) The hole through the head of a needle.
(g) A loop forming part of anything, or a hole
through anything, to receive a rope, hook, pin, shaft, etc.; as, an
eye at the end of a tie bar in a bridge truss; an eye
through a crank; an eye at the end of rope.
(h) The hole through the upper
millstone.
7. That which resembles the eye in relative
importance or beauty. "The very eye of that proverb."
Shak.
Athens, the eye of Greece, mother of
arts.
Milton.
8. Tinge; shade of color. [Obs.]
Red with an eye of blue makes a
purple.
Boyle.
By the eye, in abundance. [Obs.]
Marlowe. -- Elliott eye (Naut.),
a loop in a hemp cable made around a thimble and served. --
Eye agate, a kind of circle agate, the central
parts of which are of deeper tints than the rest of the mass.
Brande & C. -- Eye animalcule
(Zoöl), a flagellate infusorian belonging to
Euglena and related genera; -- so called because it has a
colored spot like an eye at one end. -- Eye
doctor, an oculist. -- Eye of a
volute (Arch.), the circle in the center of
volute. -- Eye of day, Eye of the
morning, Eye of heaven, the sun.
"So gently shuts the eye of day." Mrs. Barbauld. --
Eye of a ship, the foremost part in the bows of
a ship, where, formerly, eyes were painted; also, the hawser
holes. Ham. Nav. Encyc. -- Half an eye,
very imperfect sight; a careless glance; as, to see a thing with
half an eye; often figuratively. "Those who have but
half an eye." B. Jonson. -- To catch one's
eye, to attract one's notice. -- To find
favor in the eyes (of), to be graciously received and
treated. -- To have an eye to, to pay
particular attention to; to watch. "Have an eye to
Cinna." Shak. -- To keep an eye on, to
watch. -- To set the eyes on, to see; to
have a sight of. -- In the eye of the wind
(Naut.), in a direction opposed to the wind; as, a ship
sails in the eye of the wind.