macula

noun — 5 senses

macula

noun

UK /ˈmæk.jᵿ.lə/ · US /ˈmæk.jə.lə/

Etymology From Middle English macula (“spot on the skin or in the eye”), borrowed from Latin macula (“spot, stain”). Doublet of macchia and macule.

1

Anatomy, Medicine, Sciences An oval yellow spot near the center of the retina of the human eye, histologically defined as having two or more layers of ganglion cells, responsible for detailed central vision.

2

Anatomy, Biology, Medicine, Natural sciences, Sciences A small chamber of the inner ear of certain vertebrates filled with endolymph and containing an otolith.

3

A spot, as on the skin, or on the surface of the sun or of some other luminous orb.

4

A rather large spot or blotch of color.

5

In planetary geology, an unusually dark area on the surface of a planet or moon.

Derived terms
hemimacula, lagenar macula, macular, maculopathy
Related terms
macula lutea, macular

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