conjunctiva

[ kon-juhngk-tahy-vuh ]

noun

, Anatomy.

, plural con·junc·ti·vas, con·junc·ti·vae [kon-juhngk-, tahy, -vee].

1. the mucous membrane that lines the exposed portion of the eyeball and inner surface of the eyelids.

conjunctiva

/ ˌkɒndʒʌŋkˈtaɪvə /

noun

1. the delicate mucous membrane that covers the eyeball and the under surface of the eyelid

conjunctiva

/ kŏn′jŭngk-tī′və /

, Plural conjunctivas kŏn′jŭngk-tī′vē

1. The mucous membrane that lines the inside of the eyelid and covers the surface of the eyeball.

Derived Forms

• ˌconjuncˈtival, adjective

Other Words From

• conjunc·tival adjective
• subcon·junc·tival adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of conjunctiva¹

1350–1400; Middle English; short for Medieval Latin membrāna conjunctīva conjunctive membrane; conjunctive

Word History and Origins

Origin of conjunctiva¹

C16: from New Latin membrāna conjunctīva the conjunctive membrane, from Late Latin conjunctīvus conjunctive

Example Sentences

These organoids mimic the function of the actual human conjunctiva, a tissue involved in tear production.

From Science Daily

“We know that cells in the conjunctiva have ACE2 receptors on them — which are the bindings sites for the spike protein on COVID,” he said.

From Seattle Times

Pink eye, known to doctors as conjunctivitis, describes inflammation of the conjunctiva—a thin, transparent mucous membrane that covers the white part of the eyeball.

From Scientific American

The hood graft procedure involved "a flap of conjunctiva - the pink of the eye - secured over the cornea, which allows the cornea to heal itself", said Dr Williams.

From BBC

The findings come just days after another study found that COVID-19 is nearly 100 times more effective at infecting the human conjunctiva.

From Fox News