oculus
noun
oc·u·lus
ˈä-kyə-ləs 
plural oculi
ˈä-kyə-ˌlī
-ˌlē
1
: a circular or oval window
2
: a circular opening at the top of a dome
Examples of oculus in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The bedroom transforms from neutral-toned retreat by day to sparkling oculus by night.
—
Amy Chin, ELLE Decor, 17 Aug. 2023
Traditional Roman temples were set on high, like the Temple of the Capitoline Triad, and open to the sky through colonnaded porticos or an oculus, but mithraeums were the opposite: underground, cramped, hidden beneath houses, lit only by flickering torches.
—David Laskin Martin Pauer, New York Times, 1 May 2023
Best Things to Do in the Algarve Benagil Sea Cave: Accessible by boat, kayak, or stand-up paddleboard, this spot resembles nature’s cathedral, with an open-air oculus framing the blue sky.
—Stacy Suaya, Travel + Leisure, 13 Mar. 2023
An oculus in the ceiling of the space lets direct light come inside.
—Adam Pourahmadi, CNN, 1 Mar. 2023
At the top is an oculus, a round opening in the roof, like in the Pantheon in Rome.
—Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2023
On the ground floor, a seating area offers views of the sky through a large oculus in the ceiling, while a series of crisscrossing staircases around the tower’s outer rim spiral up to a flat roof.
—Ellie Pithers Clément Vayssieres, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2023
The wood pavilion’s cylindrical shape riffs on industrial bottle furnaces found around Stoke-on-Trent and will have an open oculus in its domed roof.
—Diana Budds, Curbed, 8 Feb. 2022
Its oculus opens to the sky like the eye it was named for, letting in both sunlight and drenching rain.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 7 Jan. 2023
Amy Chin, ELLE Decor, 17 Aug. 2023
Traditional Roman temples were set on high, like the Temple of the Capitoline Triad, and open to the sky through colonnaded porticos or an oculus, but mithraeums were the opposite: underground, cramped, hidden beneath houses, lit only by flickering torches.
—David Laskin Martin Pauer, New York Times, 1 May 2023
Best Things to Do in the Algarve Benagil Sea Cave: Accessible by boat, kayak, or stand-up paddleboard, this spot resembles nature’s cathedral, with an open-air oculus framing the blue sky.
—Stacy Suaya, Travel + Leisure, 13 Mar. 2023
An oculus in the ceiling of the space lets direct light come inside.
—Adam Pourahmadi, CNN, 1 Mar. 2023
At the top is an oculus, a round opening in the roof, like in the Pantheon in Rome.
—Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2023
On the ground floor, a seating area offers views of the sky through a large oculus in the ceiling, while a series of crisscrossing staircases around the tower’s outer rim spiral up to a flat roof.
—Ellie Pithers Clément Vayssieres, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2023
The wood pavilion’s cylindrical shape riffs on industrial bottle furnaces found around Stoke-on-Trent and will have an open oculus in its domed roof.
—Diana Budds, Curbed, 8 Feb. 2022
Its oculus opens to the sky like the eye it was named for, letting in both sunlight and drenching rain.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 7 Jan. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'oculus.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Oculus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oculus. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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