1
: a usually small spot of color (as on the wing of a butterfly) that resembles an eye
2
a
: a simple visual organ of pigment or pigmented cells covering a sensory termination : ocellus
b
: a small pigmented body of various unicellular algae
3
: any of several fungal diseases of cultivated grasses (such as corn, wheat, and sugarcane) characterized by yellowish oval lesions on the leaves and stem
Examples of eyespot in a Sentence
a tie having eyespots of blue on a light gray background
Recent Examples on the Web
Peacock butterflies are distinguished by a series of striking eyespots on their wings, which serve to threaten or confuse potential predators.
—
Michael Franco, New Atlas, 21 Sep. 2024
But why did some lineages evolve shell eyes rather than eyespots?
—Quanta Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024
First, red eyespots appear; then the amorphous bodies coalesce and darken into their ferocious adult forms.
—Nala Rogers, Popular Mechanics, 9 Aug. 2023
Their long hindwing tails and eyespots combine to give them a look resembling an elephant’s face.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 18 July 2023
First, Rowland and her co-author trained chicks to attack a mealworm hidden behind a paper printout of two eyespots at the end of a runway.
—Maddie Bender, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2023
The 30-centimeter-long adult grows out of a larva that is little more than a sesame seed–size blob with an eyespot at one end and a band of cilia around its body.
—Byelizabeth Pennisi, science.org, 17 Jan. 2023
The eyespot is studded with light-sensitive proteins called channelrhodopsins.
—Marc Zimmer, The Conversation, 5 Aug. 2021
Some of the earliest renditions might have been a simple pit eye, a kind of pit of tissue lined with light receptors, or what scientists call an eyespot, a simple region that detects light.
—Leslie Nemo, Scientific American, 19 May 2021
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Michael Franco, New Atlas, 21 Sep. 2024
But why did some lineages evolve shell eyes rather than eyespots?
—Quanta Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024
First, red eyespots appear; then the amorphous bodies coalesce and darken into their ferocious adult forms.
—Nala Rogers, Popular Mechanics, 9 Aug. 2023
Their long hindwing tails and eyespots combine to give them a look resembling an elephant’s face.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 18 July 2023
First, Rowland and her co-author trained chicks to attack a mealworm hidden behind a paper printout of two eyespots at the end of a runway.
—Maddie Bender, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2023
The 30-centimeter-long adult grows out of a larva that is little more than a sesame seed–size blob with an eyespot at one end and a band of cilia around its body.
—Byelizabeth Pennisi, science.org, 17 Jan. 2023
The eyespot is studded with light-sensitive proteins called channelrhodopsins.
—Marc Zimmer, The Conversation, 5 Aug. 2021
Some of the earliest renditions might have been a simple pit eye, a kind of pit of tissue lined with light receptors, or what scientists call an eyespot, a simple region that detects light.
—Leslie Nemo, Scientific American, 19 May 2021
Cite this Entry
“Eyespot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eyespot. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
eyespot
noun
eye·spot
-ˌspät 
1
: a spot of color (as on the wing of a butterfly) that resembles an eye
2
a
: a simple organ for vision or the detection of light
b
: a small body in various single-celled algae that contains pigment
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