compound eye

noun

: an eye (as of an insect) made up of many separate visual units

Examples of compound eye in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Danke attached a microscope lens at 20 times magnification to a Sony digital camera to zoom in on the insect’s compound eye, at the left of the photo. — Tracy Scott Forson, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Mar. 2025 All have compound eyes, which means insects see very differently from the way people see. — Nicholas Green, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1836, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of compound eye was in 1836

Rhymes for compound eye

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Browse Nearby Words

compound ether
compound eye
compound fold
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Cite this Entry

“Compound eye.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compound%20eye. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

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Kids Definition

compound eye

noun
: an eye (as of an insect) made up of many separate visual units

More from Merriam-Webster on compound eye

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about compound eye

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