Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
layer oftissue in theeye of manyvertebrate animals , immediately behind or sometimes within theretina , thatreflects visible light so as to increase the light available to thephotoreceptors .
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
From Latin tapetum ("tapestry") and lūcidum ("bright, shining, clear") the neuter of lūcidum, literally "bright tapestry".
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isoglossian commented on the word tapetum lucidum
Please see its Wiki entry here
April 25, 2009
chained_bear commented on the word tapetum lucidum
"Dogs also have a tapetum lucidum, a highly reflective layer of cells located behind the retina, which adds to their superior low-light vision. By reflecting light back through the retina, the tapetum lucidum doubles the photoreceptor's opportunity to react to each quantum of light. It also makes a dog's eyes, when illuminated at night, appear to glow."
—Merrily Weisbord and Kim Kachanoff, Dogs with Jobs: Working Dogs Around the World (NY and London: Pocket Books, 2000), xvii.
July 25, 2009