Definitions

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

  • noun Either of two folds of skin and muscle that can be closed over the exposed portion of the eyeball.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The cover of the eye; that portion of movable skin with which an animal covers the eyeball or uncovers it at pleasure.

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

  • noun (Anat.) The cover of the eye; that portion of movable skin with which an animal covers or uncovers the eyeball at pleasure.

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

  • noun A thin skin membrane that covers and moves over an eye.

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

  • noun either of two folds of skin that can be moved to cover or open the eye

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From eye +‎ lid.

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Examples

  • It feels as though the eyelid is scratched, but it could be a symptom of whatever ails me.

    A blinkered Monday 2007

  • Inside, Sonia smuggled a peripheral peek over at Ezra and suddenly her eyelid was a spasm of truth.

    Unsaid Meg Tuite 2011

  • Inside, Sonia smuggled a peripheral peek over at Ezra and suddenly her eyelid was a spasm of truth.

    Unsaid Meg Tuite 2011

  • The index-finger is placed on his eyebrow, the middle finger grasping the eyelid, which is pressed, with either a radial or circular motion, against the eye.

    Massage and the Original Swedish Movements 1918

  • At the external angle of the eyelid was a fold of conjunctiva which extended 0.5 cm. in front of the conjunctiva, to which it did not adhere, therefore constituting a fourth eyelid.

    Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine 1896

  • At the external angle of the eyelid was a fold of conjunctiva which extended 0.5 cm. in front of the conjunctiva, to which it did not adhere, therefore constituting

    Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine 1896

  • In addition to these it is defended by a third eyelid, called the nictitating eyelid, which is similar to that one which may be seen (if watched for) so frequently and rapidly to cross the eye of birds, e.g. of a hawk.

    The Common Frog 1874

  • And even if she does undergo such surgery, called an eyelid skin graft - which would require the surgeon to remove and replace three centimeters of skin near her eyelashes - there are no guarantees.

    msnbc.com: Top msnbc.com headlines 2011

  • So, we took him and the doctor told us it was because the eyelid is the thinnest skin on the body, it doesn't take much fluid to look swollen.

    Al's Ramblings Al 2010

  • The doctor said that they would actually insert the needle in my eyelid, which isn't any better.

    Discussion Forum - TuDiabetes 2010

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