Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The angle formed by the meeting of the upper and lower eyelids at either side of the eye.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The angle formed by the junction of the eyelids.
  • noun In entomology: One of the upper and lower or anterior and posterior extremities of the compound eyes of insects.
  • noun A corneous process of the clypeus, completely or partly dividing the compound eye. It is found in certain beetles, which thus appear to have four eyes.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Anat.) The corner where the upper and under eyelids meet on each side of the eye.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun anatomy either corner of the eye, where the eyelids meet

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun either of the corners of the eye where the upper and lower eyelids meet

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Late Latin, from Greek kanthos.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin canthus, from Ancient Greek κανθος (kanthos)

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Examples

  • The Conservative Party canthus cut arts funding with very little political consequence.

    Nunc Scio » Blog Archive » The rough guide to Canada cultural funding cuts 2008

  • When I worked in the ER I had a plastic surgeon beef up my personal ratio count when he refused to come in for a 27 year old female who literally had the right side of her face bitten off from her lip to her orbital canthus by her own pit bull, ONE WEEK BEFORE HER WEDDING.

    Time and Place 1 Dinosaur 2008

  • What links the eyes of these three coffins, beside the fact that all are painted, is that the inner canthus--the corner of the eye near the nose--descends abruptly and abuts the upper lid, giving them an East Asian appearance.

    Archive 2008-03-01 Jan 2008

  • This point is about once inch under and to the midline of the medial canthus or inner corner, right where the transverse facial vein divides.

    The Last Chance Dog D.V.M. Donna Kelleher 2003

  • This point is about once inch under and to the midline of the medial canthus or inner corner, right where the transverse facial vein divides.

    The Last Chance Dog D.V.M. Donna Kelleher 2003

  • It is from the canthus that is nearest to the nostrils that the membrane comes.

    On the Parts of Animals 2002

  • It is administered through bifrontotemporal electrodes, one on each side of the head, placed an inch above the midpoint of an imaginary line joining the outer canthus of the eye and the external auditory meatus.

    The Neuropsychiatric Guide to Modern Everyday Psychiatry Michael Alan Taylor 1993

  • Man does not possess a functional nictitating membrane, but a remnant of it is to be found in the inner canthus.

    The Human Brain Asimov, Isaac 1963

  • Ordinarily tears are carried off by the thin lacrimal ducts placed at the inner canthus.

    The Human Brain Asimov, Isaac 1963

  • For nearsightedness, close the eyes and pass the fingers, very gently, several times across them outward, from the canthus, or corner next the nose, towards the temple.

    The Ladies Book of Useful Information Compiled from many sources Anonymous

Comments

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  • A geisha takes no silly chances

    So every small detail enhances:

    How sweetly she speaks,

    The blush on her cheeks,

    The dark line that shadows her canthus.

    February 11, 2018