ocul-

1. variant of oculo- before a vowel:

   oculist.

Example Sentences

Ille vero nichil huius geñ maluit, manib ante ocul̃ paſſis ne mulier̃ formoſitate̅ adſpiceret: poſtea eu̅ m̃gica p̃cuſſit arte, at mortuu̅ efferebat i̅de cu̅ fletib̃ et vagitib̃, me p̃r timore̅ expulit ad oſtiu̅ m̃gni flumiñ veliuoli porro in nave in qua te peperi, uix poſt dies hvc Athenas invecta ſu̅.

From Project Gutenberg

Words That Use Ocul-

What does ocul- mean?

Ocul- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “eye” or “ocular,” a term that means “of or relating to the eye.” It occurs in a few medical and scientific terms.

Ocul- comes from the Latin oculus, meaning “eye.” See more about oculus at our entry for the word. The Greek word for “eye” is ophthalmós, source of the combining form ophthalmo-. Related to ophthalmós is ṓps, Greek for “eye” or “face,” and source of such combining forms as -opia, -opsia, and opto-.

Ocul- is a variant of oculo-, which loses its -o– when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels.

Want to know more? Read our Words That Use oculo- article.

Examples of ocul-

An oculist is a former word for an ophthalmologist or optometrist, which are kinds of eye doctors.

The ocul- portions of the word refers to “eye,” and -ist denotes someone who practices or is concerned with something.  So, an oculist has a literal sense of an “eye specialist.” Oculist was borrowed into English from the French oculiste.

What are some words that use or are related to the combining form ocul-?

• ocularist
• oculate
• oculauditory
• oculism

What are some other forms that ocul- may be commonly confused with?

• octo-
• octa-
• oct-

Break it down!

Based on the meaning of ocul-, what organ does an animal that is oculate possess?