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canthus (KAN-thuhs), pl. canthi - n., either of the angles formed by the meeting of an eye's upper and lower eyelids.
The side towards the nose is the inner canthus or epicanthus, and the side towards the ear is the outer canthus. Not commonly encountered unless you are an anatomist, except in the hidden form epicanthic fold, where the upper eyelid overlaps the lower one such that the epicanthus is partially hidden -- epicanthus is on the right, visible canthus on the left:
Thanks, WikiMedia!
Taken in 1646 from Latin, from Ancient Greek kanthós, corner of the eye/eyelid, of uncertain origin but quite possibly an indiginous language spoken in the area before the arrival of the Proto-Greeks. (There's a possibly PIE root, but the pronunciation shifts required don't match expected patterns.)
---L.
The side towards the nose is the inner canthus or epicanthus, and the side towards the ear is the outer canthus. Not commonly encountered unless you are an anatomist, except in the hidden form epicanthic fold, where the upper eyelid overlaps the lower one such that the epicanthus is partially hidden -- epicanthus is on the right, visible canthus on the left:
Thanks, WikiMedia!
Taken in 1646 from Latin, from Ancient Greek kanthós, corner of the eye/eyelid, of uncertain origin but quite possibly an indiginous language spoken in the area before the arrival of the Proto-Greeks. (There's a possibly PIE root, but the pronunciation shifts required don't match expected patterns.)
---L.
