ommatidium

English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ὀμματίδιον (ommatídion, “little eye”), equivalent to ὄμμα (ómma, stem ὄμματ-) + -idium.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɒməˈtɪdɪəm/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /ɑməˈtɪdɪəm/

Noun

ommatidium (plural ommatidia)

1. (zoology) One of the conical substructures which make up the eyes of invertebrates with compound eyes.
   • 1996, Michael J. Roberts, Spiders of Britain and Northern Europe, Collins, published 1996, page 12:

     The ‘compound’ eyes of insects [...] are made up of large numbers of facets or ommatidia, and in this sense, our own eyes are ‘simple’.

Translations

substructure of the eye

• Catalan: ommatidi m
• Finnish: ommatidi (fi)
• French: ommatidie (fr) f
• Russian: оммати́дий (ru) m (ommatídij)
• Spanish: omatidio m

Latin

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ὀμματίδιον (ommatídion), diminutive of ὄμμα (ómma, “eye”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /om.maˈti.di.um/, [ɔmːäˈt̪ɪd̪iʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /om.maˈti.di.um/, [omːäˈt̪iːd̪ium]

Noun

ommatidium n (genitive ommatidiī or ommatidī); second declension

1. ommatidium

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

	singular	plural
nominative	ommatidium	ommatidia
genitive	ommatidiī ommatidī1	ommatidiōrum
dative	ommatidiō	ommatidiīs
accusative	ommatidium	ommatidia
ablative	ommatidiō	ommatidiīs
vocative	ommatidium	ommatidia

¹Found in older Latin (until the Augustan Age).

See also

• aumātium