eye

noun, verb — 34 senses

eye

noun

/ˈaɪ̯/ · [ˈaɪ̯]

Etymology

From Middle English e, eye, eyghe, eyȝe, eȝhe, iȝe, ye, yhe, from Old English ēage, ēge (“eye”), from Proto-West Germanic *augā, from Proto-Germanic *augô (“eye”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ekʷ- (“eye; to see”). Related to ogle. Cognates Cognate with Yola iee (“eye”), Scots ee, eh (“eye”), North Frisian oog, uuch, uug (“eye”), Saterland Frisian Oge, Ooge (“eye”), West Frisian each (“eye”), Alemannic German, Bavarian Aug (“eye”), Central Franconian Au, Auch, Ooch (“eye”), Dutch oog (“eye”), German Aug, Auge (“eye”), Low German Auge, Oog (“eye”), Luxembourgish A (“eye”), Vilamovian aojg, aug, oüg (“eye”), Yiddish אויג (oyg, “eye”), Danish øje (“eye”), Elfdalian oga (“eye”), Faroese eyga (“eye”), Icelandic auga (“eye”), Norwegian Bokmål øye (“eye”), Norwegian Nynorsk aua, aue, auga, auge (“eye”), Scanian yva (“eye”), Swedish öga (“eye”), Crimean Gothic oeghene (“eyes”), Gothic 𐌰𐌿𐌲𐍉 (augō, “eye”), Estonian auk (“hole”), Finnish and Votic aukko (“hole”), Ingrian aukko, aukku (“hole”), Livonian ouk (“hole; hollow”). Other Indo-European cognates include Breton eneb (“inverse; face; honour”), Cornish enep (“face; exterior; surface”), Gaulish ops (“eye”), Old Irish enech (“face; front; honour”), Welsh wyneb (“face; front; cheek”), Latin oclus, oculus (“eye”), Ancient Greek ὄψ (óps, “eye; face”), Albanian sy (“eye”), Latgalian and Latvian acs (“eye”), Lithuanian and Samogitian akis (“eye”), Old Prussian ackis (“eye”), Belarusian во́ка (vóka, “eye”), Bulgarian and Macedonian око́ (okó, “eye”), Carpathian Rusyn, Russian, and Ukrainian о́ко (óko, “eye”), Czech, Polish, Slovak, and Slovene oko (“eye”), Kashubian òkò (“eye”), Lower Sorbian hoko, woko (“eye”), Polabian våťü (“eye”), Serbo-Croatian о̏ко, ȍko (“eye”), Silesian ôko (“eye”), Slovincian wôkô (“eye”), Upper Sorbian woko (“eye”), Armenian ակն (akn, “eye”), Northern Kurdish enî (“forehead”), Ashkun aċĩ (“eye”), Kamkata-viri ače, ačẽ, ači (“eye”), Prasuni ižī, ižĩ (“eye”), Tregami ac̣ĩ (“eye”), Waigali ačẽ (“eye”), Tocharian A ak (“eye”), Tocharian B ek (“eye”), Sanskrit अक्षि (akṣi, “eye”). The archaic plural form eyen is from Middle English eyen, from Old English ēaġan, nominative and accusative plural of ēaġe (“eye”).

27 senses
  1. 1An organ through which animals see (“perceive…
  2. 2The visual sense.
  3. 3The iris of the eye, being of a specified colour.
  4. 4Attention, notice.
  5. 5The ability to notice what others might miss.
  6. 6A meaningful look or stare.
  7. 7Ellipsis of private eye.
  8. 8A hole at the blunt end of a needle through which thread…
  9. 9The oval hole of an axehead through which the axehandle…
  10. 10A fitting consisting of a loop of metal or other…
  11. 11A loop forming part of anything, or a hole through…
  12. 12A burner on a kitchen stove, hob, or cooktop.
  13. 13The relatively calm and clear centre of a hurricane or…
  14. 14The dark brown centre of a black-eyed Susan flower.
  15. 15The hilum of a seed or bean, or the hilum plus any rings…
  16. 16The circle in the centre of a volute.
  17. 17A central area in a portion of a carcass being butchered…
  18. 18A mark on an animal, such as a butterfly or peacock…
  19. 19A reproductive bud in a potato.
  20. 20That which resembles the eye in relative beauty or importance.
  21. 21A shade of colour; a tinge.
  22. 22One of the holes in certain kinds of cheese.
  23. 23The foremost part of a ship's bows; the hawseholes.
  24. 24The enclosed counter (“negative space”) of the…
  25. 25An empty point or group of points surrounded by one…
  26. 26Opinion, view.
  27. 27Synonym of pit-eye.
1

An organ through which animals see (“perceive surroundings via light”).

  • Near-synonym: eyeball
  • Bright lights really hurt my eyes.
4 more examples
  • To vvhat, my loue, ſhall I compare thine eyne? / Chriſtall is muddy.c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, A Midsommer Nights Dreame. […] (First Quarto), London: […] [Richard Bradock] for Thomas Fisher, […], published 1600, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:
  • Were it to search the furthest Northern clime / Where frosty Hyems with an ycie Mace / Strikes dead all living things, Ide find it out, / And borrowing fire from those fayre sunny eyne / Thaw Winters frost and warme that dead cold clime: […]1605, The Trial of Chivalry:
  • Now with a bitter smile, whose light did shine / Like a fiend’s hope upon his lips and eyne, / He said, and the persuasion of that sneer / Rallied his trembling comrades— […]1817 December, Percy Bysshe Shelley, “The Revolt of Islam. […]”, in [Mary] Shelley, editor, The Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley. […], volume I, London: Edward Moxon […], published 1839, →OCLC, page 361:
  • It is scarcely possible to avoid comparing the eye to a telescope.1859 November 24, Charles Darwin, “Difficulties on Theory”, in On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, […], London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, page 188:
2

The visual sense.

  • The car was quite pleasing to the eye, but impractical.
3

The iris of the eye, being of a specified colour.

  • Brown, blue, green, hazel eyes.
  • Natalie’s brown eyes looked into Jim’s blue eyes, and the girl and boy flirted.
4

Attention, notice.

  • That dress caught her eye.
  • In the eyes of Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke the apotheosis of the Celebrity was complete. The people of Asquith were not only willing to attend the house-warming, but had been worked up to the pitch of eagerness. The Celebrity as a matter of course was master of ceremonies.1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
5

The ability to notice what others might miss.

  • He has an eye for talent.
  • Nothing was too small to receive attention, if a supervising eye could suggest improvements likely to conduce to the common welfare. Mr. Gordon Burnage, for instance, personally visited dust-bins and back premises, accompanied by a sort of village bailiff, going his round like a commanding officer doing billets.1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XIX, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
6

A meaningful look or stare.

  • She was giving him the eye at the bar.
  • When the car cut her off, she gave him the eye.
7

Abbreviation, Ellipsis Ellipsis of private eye.

  • Far more annoying were the letters from parents of missing daughters and the private detectives who had begun showing up at his door. Independently of each other, the Cigrand and Conner families had hired “eyes” to search for their missing daughters.2003, Erik Larson, The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America, Random House, →ISBN, page 199:
8

A hole at the blunt end of a needle through which thread is passed.

9

The oval hole of an axehead through which the axehandle is fitted.

  • [H]e struck the Duffer a sharp blow on the back of the head with the eye of the axe, and left him stunned and senseless on the earth[.]1856 October 18, The People’s Advocate and New South Wales Vindicator, Sydney, N.S.W., page 6, column 1:
10

A fitting consisting of a loop of metal or other material, suitable for receiving a hook or the passage of a cord or line.

11

A loop forming part of anything, or a hole through anything, to receive a hook, pin, rope, shaft, etc.; for example, at the end of a tie bar in a bridge truss, through a crank, at the end of a rope, or through a millstone.

12

US A burner on a kitchen stove, hob, or cooktop.

› A central and focal portion of any of several things.

13

The relatively calm and clear centre of a hurricane or other cyclonic storm.

  • the eye of the storm
  • the eye of the hurricane
14

Informal The dark brown centre of a black-eyed Susan flower.

15

The hilum of a seed or bean, or the hilum plus any rings of color that surround it; for example, the dark spot on a black-eyed pea.

16

Architecture The circle in the centre of a volute.

17

A central area in a portion of a carcass being butchered into cuts of meat, such as a certain muscle partly surrounded by fat (for example, a longissimus dorsi); a cut that includes a portion of it.

  • loin eye
  • rib eye
18

A mark on an animal, such as a butterfly or peacock, resembling a human eye.

19

A reproductive bud in a potato.

20

That which resembles the eye in relative beauty or importance.

  • the very eye of that proverb1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene vii]:
  • Athens, the eye of Greece, mother of arts1671, John Milton, “(please specify the page)”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC:
21

A shade of colour; a tinge.

  • Red vvith an Eye of Blevv, makes a Purple; and by theſe ſimple Compoſitions again Compounded among themſelves, the Skilful Painter can produce vvhat kind of Colour he pleaſes, and a great many more than vve have yet Names for.1664, Robert Boyle, “Experiment XII”, in Experiments and Considerations Touching Colours. […], London: […] Henry Herringman […], →OCLC, part III (Containing Promiscuous Experiments about Colours), page 220:
22

One of the holes in certain kinds of cheese.

23

Nautical, Transport In plural The foremost part of a ship's bows; the hawseholes.

24

Media, Publishing, Typography The enclosed counter (“negative space”) of the lower-case letter e.

  • The “e” was a bit over-inked, with a blacked-out eye.2022, Hernan Diaz, Trust, Picador (2023):
25

An empty point or group of points surrounded by one player's stones.

26

Plural normally Opinion, view.

  • This victory will make us great in the eyes of the world.
27

Business, Mining Synonym of pit-eye.

Synonyms
eye, eyeball, glim, globe, lurk, mince pie, ogle, optic, orb, peeper
Derived terms
512 termsadze-eye hammer, after-eye, all eyes, all my eye, all my eye and Betty Martin, all-seeing eye, almond eye, an eye for an eye, angel eye, apotropaic eye, apple of someone's eye, apple of the eye, as far as the eye can see, as far as the eye could see, a sheet in the wind's eye, bad eye, bag around one's eye, bag around the eye, bag below one's eye, bag below the eye, bag beneath one's eye, bag beneath the eye, bag under one's eye, bag under the eye, bare-eye, barreleye, bat an eye, bat of an eye, beady eye, beauty is in the eye of the beer holder, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, believe one's eyes, better than a poke in the eye, better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, bigeye, big eye, birdeye, bird's-eye, bird's eye chili, bird's-eye maple, bird's-eye view, blackeye, black eye, blear eye, blink of an eye, blood in one's eye, blue-eye, blue eye cod, boss eye, brown eye, browneye, bug eye, bullock's eye, bull's eye, bullseye, bull's-eye, bung eye, by eye, by the eye, calyx eye, camel through the eye of a needle, catch someone's eye, catch the eye, cat-eye, cat eye syndrome, cat's-eye, cat's eye, chi-by-eye, close one eye, cock-eye, cockeye, cock eye, collie eye anomaly, compound eye, corner of the eye, cow-eyed, crab's eye, cross-eye, damn my eyes, dead-eye, deadeye, dead-eye Dick, diddley-eye, doll's eye, doll's eye sign, donkey's eye, dragon's eye, dry eye, dry eye syndrome, duck's eye, eagle eye, easy on the eye, eff why eye, electric eye, Elliott eye, enough to put in one's eye, entry point for the eye, every shut eye isn't asleep, evil eye, evil-eye, eye agate, eye animalcule, eye-apple, eye bag, eyebag, eyeball, eye-ball, eye bank, eyebar, eyebath, eyebeam, eye black, eye bleach, eyeblink, eye bolt, eyebolt, eye booger, eyeborg, eye bounce, eyebright, eyebrow, eye brow, eyebrow pencil, eye candy, eyecap, eyecare, eyecatcher, eye-catcher, eye-catching, eye-catchingly, eye chart, eye-clean, eye color, eye colour, eye contact, eyecup, eye-cup, -eyed, eye dialect, eye doctor, eye drop, eye-drop, eyedrop, eyedropper, eye-drops, eye examination, eye fillet, eye-filling, eyeflap, eye fly, eye for an eye, eye for eye, eye fuck, eyefuck, eye-fuck, eyeful, eyegasm, eye-gate, eyegaze, eyegear, eyeglance, eyeglass, eye-glassed, eyeglasses, eyeglobe, eye-gougingly, eyeground, eye gunk, eye-hand coordination, eye hoe, eyehole, eye hook, eyehook, eye in the sky, eye jammy, eye job, eye-lash, eye lash, eyelash, eye lens, eyeless, eyelet, eye level, eyelid, eyelift, eye lift, eyelike, eyeline, eyelined, eyeliner, eyelock, eye-lock, eye lock, eyely, eyemark, eyemask, eye M.D., eye MD, eye-minded, eye-mindedness, eye miniature, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, eye music, eye of day, eye of round, eye of the beholder, eye of the storm, eye opener, eye-opener, eye-opening, eyepaint, eye patch, eye pattern, eye pencil, eyephone, eye-piece, eyepiece, eye-pit, eye plate, eyepoint, eye-popper, eye-popping, eye-poppingly, eye power, Eye-Q, eye-Q, eyer, eye-rape, eyereach, eye rhyme, eyering, eye-ringed flatbill, eye roll, eye-roll, eye-rolling, eyesalve, eye screw, eyes down, eye-searing, eye-servant, eyeservant, eye-server, eyeservice, eye-service, eye service, eye-sex, eye sex, eye-shade, eyeshade, eyeshadow, eye shadow, eyeshape, eyeshield, eyeshine, eyeshot, eyesies, eyesight, eye sight, eyes in the boat, eyeslit, eye-socket, eye socket, eyesome, eyes on the prize, eyesore, eye splice, eyesplice, eyespot, eyestalk, eyestone, eyestrain, eye-strain, eyestreak, eye-string, eyestring, eyestripe, eye-stripe, eye-sweet, eye test, eye-to-eye, eye to eye, eyetooth, eye-tooth, eye tooth, eyetracker, eye tracking, eyetracks, eye up, eyewall, eyeward, eyewards, eye washer, eyewash, eye wash, eyewater, eye-watering, eye-wateringly, eyewear, eyewink, eyewinker, eye-winker, eyewire, eye witness, eyewitness, eye-witness, eye-word, eyeworm, eye-worthy, eyeworthy, feast one's eyes, fire-eye, fisheye, fish-eye, fish eye, fish-eye lens, Flemish eye, for your eyes only, four-eye principle, fox eye, frog-eye salad, frog's-eye view, gardener's eye, get one's eye in, give an eye-tooth, give one's eye-teeth, give someone the eye, give the eye, glad-eye, glass blue-eye, glass eye, glasseye, glint in the milkman's eye, God's eye, goggle-eye, goldeneye, goldeye, googly eye, goo-goo eyes, gooseberry eye, greeneye, green-eyed monster, green in one's eye, half an eye, half-eye, hand-eye, hand-eye coordination, have an eye for, have eyes for, have one's eye on, have one's eye out, hawk-eye, Hawk-Eye, hawk's eye, here's mud in your eye, hog's eye, hook and eye, in a pig's eye, inner eye, in the blink of an eye, in the eye of the wind, in the twinkling of an eye, in the wind's eye, in the wink of an eye, Ireland's Eye, I spy with my little eye, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God, it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye, Jap's eye, Jupiter's eye, keep an eye on, keep an eye open, keep an eye out, keep an eye peeled, keep an eye skinned, keep a weather eye open, keep one's eye in, keep one's eye on the ball, keep one's eyes peeled, Kelly's eye, laser eye surgery, lay one's eyes on, lazy eye, light of one's eye, loineye, lover's eye, magic eye, make eyes at, master eye, mind's eye, mind your eye, monoeye, mooneye, moon eye, more than meets the eye, mud-eye, muscle-eye-brain disease, my eye, naked eye, naked-eye, needle-in-the-eye syndrome, night eye, no eye see, one in the eye for, opaleye, out of the corner of one's eye, overeye, ox-eye daisy, oxeye, ox-eye, pale-faced bare-eye, pearl eye, phantom eye syndrome, pheasant's-eye, pheasant's eye, pig's eye, pinkeye, pink-eye, pink eye, pipe one's eye, pipe the eye, pit-eye, plat-eye, pleasing on the eye, pleasing to the eye, poke someone's eye out, pope's eye, Popeye, popeye, pop-eye, private eye, public eye, puppy dog eyes, put the miller's eye out, raccoon eyes, rapid eye movement, razor eye, Red Eye, red eye, red-eye flight, red-eye gravy, redeye, red-eye, rib eye, rib-eye, rib eye steak, rib-eye steak, roaming eye, roundeye, roving eye, screw eye, seeing-eye, seeing eye ball, seeing-eye dog, seeing eye dog, something green in one's eye, with half an eye, selenium eye, sheep's eye, shit eye, shuteye, shut-eye, side eye, side-eye, sight for sore eyes, silvereye, slanteye, sleep with one eye open, smize, smoky eye, sore eyes, spacecraft's-eye, stank eye, stick a needle in my eye, stink eye, stink-eye, stye, swivel eye, take one's eye off the ball, take the red eye, thimbleeye, third eye, throw an eye, thyroid eye disease, tiger eye, tiger's eye, tiger's-eye, turn a blind eye, twinkle in one's daddy's eye, twinkle in one's father's eye, twinkling of an eye, undereye, under-eye, under-eye bag, wattle-eye, wax-eye, weather eye, webeye, welder's eye, wet the other eye, wheel-eyed, white-eye, White Eyes, wipe someone's eye, with an eye to, with an eye towards, without batting an eye, without blinking an eye, worm's eye view, worm's-eye view, worth a Jew's eye, would give a Jew's eye, yelloweye
Related terms
tapetum lucidum, eyne, neen (“eyes”)
Hypernyms
body part, organ
Hyponyms
ocellus, oculus
Holonyms
countenance, face, head, body, facial expression, mien
Meronyms
cone, retina, cornea, iris, lens, pupil, sclera, rod

eye

verb
Etymology

From Middle English e, eye, eyghe, eyȝe, eȝhe, iȝe, ye, yhe, from Old English ēage, ēge (“eye”), from Proto-West Germanic *augā, from Proto-Germanic *augô (“eye”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ekʷ- (“eye; to see”). Related to ogle. Cognates Cognate with Yola iee (“eye”), Scots ee, eh (“eye”), North Frisian oog, uuch, uug (“eye”), Saterland Frisian Oge, Ooge (“eye”), West Frisian each (“eye”), Alemannic German, Bavarian Aug (“eye”), Central Franconian Au, Auch, Ooch (“eye”), Dutch oog (“eye”), German Aug, Auge (“eye”), Low German Auge, Oog (“eye”), Luxembourgish A (“eye”), Vilamovian aojg, aug, oüg (“eye”), Yiddish אויג (oyg, “eye”), Danish øje (“eye”), Elfdalian oga (“eye”), Faroese eyga (“eye”), Icelandic auga (“eye”), Norwegian Bokmål øye (“eye”), Norwegian Nynorsk aua, aue, auga, auge (“eye”), Scanian yva (“eye”), Swedish öga (“eye”), Crimean Gothic oeghene (“eyes”), Gothic 𐌰𐌿𐌲𐍉 (augō, “eye”), Estonian auk (“hole”), Finnish and Votic aukko (“hole”), Ingrian aukko, aukku (“hole”), Livonian ouk (“hole; hollow”). Other Indo-European cognates include Breton eneb (“inverse; face; honour”), Cornish enep (“face; exterior; surface”), Gaulish ops (“eye”), Old Irish enech (“face; front; honour”), Welsh wyneb (“face; front; cheek”), Latin oclus, oculus (“eye”), Ancient Greek ὄψ (óps, “eye; face”), Albanian sy (“eye”), Latgalian and Latvian acs (“eye”), Lithuanian and Samogitian akis (“eye”), Old Prussian ackis (“eye”), Belarusian во́ка (vóka, “eye”), Bulgarian and Macedonian око́ (okó, “eye”), Carpathian Rusyn, Russian, and Ukrainian о́ко (óko, “eye”), Czech, Polish, Slovak, and Slovene oko (“eye”), Kashubian òkò (“eye”), Lower Sorbian hoko, woko (“eye”), Polabian våťü (“eye”), Serbo-Croatian о̏ко, ȍko (“eye”), Silesian ôko (“eye”), Slovincian wôkô (“eye”), Upper Sorbian woko (“eye”), Armenian ակն (akn, “eye”), Northern Kurdish enî (“forehead”), Ashkun aċĩ (“eye”), Kamkata-viri ače, ačẽ, ači (“eye”), Prasuni ižī, ižĩ (“eye”), Tregami ac̣ĩ (“eye”), Waigali ačẽ (“eye”), Tocharian A ak (“eye”), Tocharian B ek (“eye”), Sanskrit अक्षि (akṣi, “eye”). The archaic plural form eyen is from Middle English eyen, from Old English ēaġan, nominative and accusative plural of ēaġe (“eye”).

1

To carefully or appraisingly observe (someone or something).

  • After eyeing the document for half an hour, she decided not to sign it.
  • They went out and eyed the new car one last time before deciding.
1 more example
  • Each downcast monk in silence takes / His place a newmade grave around, / Each one his brother sadly eying.1859, Fraser’s Magazine, volume 60, page 671:
2

To consider.

  • Mr. Smith is eyeing a departmental reorganization plan.
3

Obsolete To appear; to look.

  • My becomings kill me, when they do not eye well to you.c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:
4

To remove the reproductive buds from (potatoes).

  • Once the potatoes have been rumbled they require 'eyeing' with a turning knife or hand peeler.1996, Food Preparation and Cooking, page 418:
  • My first assignment was eyeing old potatoes. The Siegler brothers would buy potatoes so old they looked like an octopus. My job was to make them look presentable and, of course, sellable.2012, Bob Vargovcik, Bayonne Boy, page 19:
5

To allow (fish eggs) to develop so that the black eye spots are visible.

  • Eggs were collected from the Taylor Creek, Upper Truckee River, and Blackwood Creek traps and transported to this station to be eyed […]1927, Appendix to the Journals of the Senate and Assembly of the Forty-Seventh Session of the Legislature of the State of California:
Derived terms
eyeable, eye up, ineye, uneyeable

eye

noun
1

The name of the Latin script letter I/i.

  • It said, in a whispering, buzzing voice, "Gee-you-ess-ess-ay-dash-em-ee-ar-ar-wye-dash-em-eye-en-gee-oh-dash-pee-eye-pee-dash-pee-ee-ar-ar-wye-dash-pee-eye-en-gee-oh."2004, Will Rogers, The Stonking Steps, page 170:
  • IED [is spoken] as "eye-ee-dee" instead of "I SPELL India Echo Delta Romeo".2016 CCEB, Communications Instructions Radiotelephone Procedures: ACP125 (G), pages 3–5
Derived terms
eff why eye

eye

noun

Etymology Probably from rebracketing of a nye as an eye.

1

A brood.

  • an eye of pheasants

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

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