Ophthalmia

//ɑpˈθælmiə// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Synonym of ophthalmitis (“inflammation of the eye”). countable, uncountable

    "Dr. Buck reports that the Swabians also believe in the efficacy of fasting spittle for sore eyes; and our never-failing Pliny records the Roman belief that ophthalmia may be cured by anointing the eyes every morning with fasting spittle."

  2. 2
    severe conjunctivitis wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
ophthalmitisappendicitisarthritisbronchitisbunioncolitis

Example

More examples

"Dr. Buck reports that the Swabians also believe in the efficacy of fasting spittle for sore eyes; and our never-failing Pliny records the Roman belief that ophthalmia may be cured by anointing the eyes every morning with fasting spittle."

Etymology

From Medieval Latin obtalmia and Old French obtalmie, ultimately from Ancient Greek ὀφθαλμός (ophthalmós). Re-classicized from the Greek spelling, instead of archaic obtalmy (“eye inflammation, (also?) longsightedness”).

Related phrases

ophthalmia neonatorum

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.