oculus means A window or other opening that has an oval or circular shape (as of an eye).; The central boss of a volute. It carries an Arena rating of 1730, earned across 39 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, oculus ranks #678 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #1,375 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #1,648 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #2,701 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words.
oculus is pronounced /ˈɒk.jʊ.ləs/.
Why “oculus” is a great word
OCULUS — [Noun] A round or oval window or opening, especially one at the apex of a dome. From Latin oculus ("eye"), from Proto-Indo-European root *okw- ("to see"). Unlike fenestra (a general, functional window) or lunette (a semicircular, subordinate aperture), the oculus is a singular, watchful eye. It is the celestial pupil at the summit of the Pantheon; the porthole in a ship's hull framing a disc of churning sea; the unglazed puncture in a primitive roof, admitting weather and stars. It is architecture's most ancient metaphor: the building itself, looking back.
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin oculus (“eye”). Doublet of occhio.
noun
- A window or other opening that has an oval or circular shape (as of an eye).; The central boss of a volute.
- A window or other opening that has an oval or circular shape (as of an eye).; An opening at the apex of a dome.e.g.“One can glimpse the sky through the oculus of the Pantheon in Rome.”
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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