preocularadj.n.
/prɪˈɒkjᵿlə/, /priːˈɒkjᵿlə/, U.S. /priˈɑkjələr/ A. adj.
1. Zoology. Situated in front of the eye. Opposed to postocular.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > face > eye > [adjective] > situated near
subocular1801
interocular1826
preocular1826
postocular1830
antorbital1837
anteocular1846
periophthalmic1886
1826 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. IV. xlvi. 316 Preocular... When antennæ are inserted before the eyes.
1852 W. Macgillivray Hist. Brit. Birds V. 522 The preocular bristly feathers blackish.
1934 Amer. Midland Naturalist 15 450 A Bufo with well-developed cranial crests which do not possess conspicuous tympanic or preocular branches.
1993 Snake 25 9 Males have a higher incidence of fusion of the preocular and adjacent supralabial scale.
2. Ophthalmology. Present on the surface of the eye.
ΚΠ
1973 Exper. Eye Res. 15 515 The formation of the preocular tear film successive to each blink is discussed in terms of surface chemical characteristics of the lid-cornea system.
1985 Trans. Ophthalmol. Soc. 104 374 The instability of the preocular tear film, which can be caused by several factors, appears to be characteristic of all dry eye states irrespective of aetiology.
2004 Brit. Jrnl. Ophthalmol. 88 1460/1 The preocular fluid is renewed continuously with molecules, added both from the epithelium it overlays and from the lacrimal gland.
B. n.
Zoology. In a snake or lizard: a scale situated immediately in front of the eye.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > reptiles > order Squamata (lizards and snakes) > [noun] > parts of
anteocular1848
zygantrum1854
zygosphene1854
preocular1859
occipital1890
hemipenis1909
1859 E. Hallowell in R. S. Williamson Rep. Explor. Routes Calif. : Zool. Rep. (U. S. War Dept.: Rep. Explor. Route to Pacific) V. i. 15 One preocular, which is quadrangular, resting on the third supralabial.
1942 Amer. Midland Naturalist 27 166 One adult and one juvenile each have two preoculars, on each side of the head.
1993 Copeia iv. 987 Six head scale counts: loreals, supra- and infralabials, pre- and postoculars, temporals.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.1826