Word of the Day

: July 21, 2009

nyctalopia

noun nik-tuh-LOH-pee-uh

What It Means

: reduced visual capacity in faint light (as at night) : night blindness

nyctalopia in Context

Bernard suffers from progressive nyctalopia; as a result, he can no longer drive at night.

Did You Know?

"Nyctalopia" comes to us from the Latin word "nyctalops," which means "suffering from night blindness." It is ultimately derived from the Greek word "nyktalops," which was formed by combining the word for "night" ("nyx") with the words for "blind" and "eye" ("alaos" and "ōps," respectively). English speakers have been using "nyctalopia" to refer to reduced vision in faint light or at night since the 17th century. We added the somewhat more pedestrian "night blindness" to the lexicon in the 18th century.