eyespot
part of speech
noun (an eyespot, eyespots)
meaning for a pupil
1) An eyespot is a round patch of colour that looks like an eye, on the wings of a butterfly or moth, or on the body of a fish, to scare or fool predators. tree →
2) (science) An eyespot is a tiny light-sensitive spot on very simple living things, such as Euglena, that helps them find light. tree →
sense in the lessons
In science lessons it explains camouflage and defence: birds may attack the false eye instead of the head, or be frightened by big eyespots. In microscopy, pupils see the red eyespot of single-celled Euglena. Phrases: «false eyespots», «eyespot on the wing».
examples
- The peacock butterfly has four big eyespots. tree →
- Birds may peck the eyespot instead of the butterfly's head. tree →
- Some fish have an eyespot near their tail. tree →
- Under the microscope we saw the red eyespot of a Euglena. tree →
- The moth opened its wings and flashed its eyespots. tree →
- Eyespots make small creatures look bigger and scarier. tree →
note
Countable: an eyespot, eyespots. One word. Also called «eye spot» or «ocellus» (plural ocelli) by scientists. An eyespot on a wing cannot see; it is only a pattern.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «eyespot» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.