cornea

noun

cor·​nea ˈkȯr-nē-ə 

: the transparent part of the coat of the eyeball that covers the iris and pupil and admits light to the interior see eye illustration

corneal

ˈkȯr-nē-əl 

adjective

Examples of cornea in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Both species have complex camera-like eyes with a lens, cornea, and retina that visually capture the world around them. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 6 Aug. 2025

The attorney general, 59, suddenly canceled her appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference's Summit Against Human Trafficking on Wednesday, citing a torn cornea, per Fox News. —Rachel Raposas, People.com, 24 July 2025

Living donors and cornea, tissue, bone marrow and stem cell recipients compete in division two. —Kathryn Kovalenko, Twin Cities, 18 July 2025

After all, these predators inhabit deep, cold, dark waters — some as frigid as 30°F (-1.1°C) and as deep as 9,800 feet (3,000 meters) — and many have parasitic copepods attached to their corneas and sometimes even their butts. —Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Medieval Latin (short for cornea tēla "horny web," cornea tunica "horny covering," translating Greek kerātoeidḕs chitṓn), from feminine of Latin corneus "horny" — more at corneous

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

cornea

noun

cor·​nea ˈkȯr-nē-ə 

: the transparent part of the coat of the eyeball that covers the iris and pupil and lets light through to the interior

corneal

-nē-əl 

adjective

Medical Definition

cornea

noun

cor·​nea ˈkȯr-nē-ə 

: the transparent part of the coat of the eyeball that covers the iris and pupil and admits light to the interior

corneal

-əl 

adjective