1. a. A spot resembling an eye. b. A rudimentary eye. c. In a coco-nut: = EYE 12 b.
a. 1879. Lubbock, Sci. Lect., ii. 57. In Chœrocampa tersa, there is an eye-spot on each segment.
1882. Gard. Chron., XVII. 10. Calanthe Sandhurstiana … with an eye-spot at the base of the lip.
1890. Julia P. Ballard, Among Moths & Butterfl., 32. His … wings … showing two large and elegant eye-spots.
b. 1877. Huxley, Anat. Inv. Anim., iv. 188–9. One or more eyespots are sometimes seated on the ganglion.
1880. Bastian, Brain, viii. 116. In the young Lamprey two pigment spots replace the single ‘eye spot’ of the Lancelot.
c. 1885. H. O. Forbes, Nat. Wand. E. Archip., I. ii. 27. The three eye-spots seen at the end of a cocoa-nut.
2. A kind of lily of a violet or black color, having a red spot in the middle of each leaf.
1801. Southey, Thalaba, VI. xx. Here amid her sable cup Shines the red eye-spot … The solitary twinkler of the night.
Hence Eyespotted ppl. a., having spots resembling eyes.
1590. Spenser, Muiopotmos, 95. Iunoes Bird in her ey-spotted traine.
1883. Times, 11 June, 4/5. A splendid peacock with a luxuriant train of eye-spotted feathers.
