Definition

1. Noun:
   • A visual organ found in insects and some crustaceans: A "compound eye" is an eye consisting of numerous small, light-sensitive units called ommatidia. Each ommatidium contributes a small part to the overall image perceived by the animal.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The dragonfly's compound eye provides it with a wide field of view.
  • Scientists study the compound eye to understand how insects perceive motion.

Advanced Usage

• "to have a compound eye": to possess this specific type of visual organ.
  • Most arthropods, like bees and shrimp, have a compound eye.

Variants and Related Words

• Ommatidium (n): One of the many tiny, individual visual units that make up a compound eye.
  • Each ommatidium in a compound eye points in a slightly different direction.

Synonyms

• Multifaceted eye: An eye composed of many facets or lenses. (This is a descriptive synonym, not a common single-word replacement.)

Related Phrases

• Compound eye structure: Refers to the anatomical arrangement of the ommatidia.
  • The compound eye structure is highly efficient for detecting movement.

Noun

1. in insects and some crustaceans: composed of many light-sensitive elements each forming a portion of an image