sclera

Definition

The white of the eye; the tough outer coat of the eye that covers the eyeball except for the cornea.

Etymology

Borrowed from New Latin sclera, from Ancient Greek σκληρός (sklērós, “hard”).

Example Sentences

• "She'd been back a week and it was clear that college-level track was kicking her ass, the sclera in her normally wide manga-eyes were shot through with blood vessels."
• "Such pressures explain why humans are peculiar in having our rather small irises set against a white background—the sclera—in our eyes. Anyone watching us can infer where we are looking or whom we are looking at."

Related Words