compound eye

noun

an arthropod eye subdivided into many individual, light-receptive elements, each including a lens, a transmitting apparatus, and retinal cells.

Origin of compound eye

First recorded in 1830–40

Words nearby compound eye

compound, compound aneurysm, compound annual return, compound dislocation, compound engine, compound eye, compound fault, compound flap, compound flower, compound fraction, compound fracture

British Dictionary definitions for compound eye

compound eye

noun

the convex eye of insects and some crustaceans, consisting of numerous separate light-sensitive units (ommatidia) See also ocellus

Scientific definitions for compound eye

compound eye

An eye consisting of hundreds or thousands of tiny light-sensitive parts (called ommatidia), with each part serving to focus light on the retina to create a portion of an image. Most insects and some crustaceans have compound eyes.