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ommatidium

noun
om·​ma·​tid·​i·​um | \ ˌä-mə-ˈti-dē-əm How to pronounce ommatidium (audio) \
plural ommatidia\ ˌä-​mə-​ˈti-​dē-​ə How to pronounce ommatidia (audio) \

Definition of ommatidium

: one of the elements corresponding to a small simple eye that make up the compound eye of an arthropod
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Other Words from ommatidium

ommatidial \ ˌä-​mə-​ˈti-​dē-​əl How to pronounce ommatidial (audio) \ adjective

Examples of ommatidium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

 The tiny organ contains 100 ommatidia, or subunits that make up compound eyes found today in many insects, surrounding a light-sensing structure called a rhabdom. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Gaze Into a 530-Million-Year-Old Eye, the Oldest Yet Discovered," 11 Dec. 2017

First Known Use of ommatidium

1884, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for ommatidium

New Latin, from Greek ommat-, omma eye; akin to Greek ōps eye — more at eye

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