Coloboma
/ˌkɒləˈbəʊmə/noun
A congenital gap or notch in a structure of the eye caused by incomplete development before birth.
Did you know?Ancient Greek kolobōma referred broadly to a mutilation or نقص—a missing piece—long before modern medicine used coloboma for a developmental eye defect.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
kolobos
“Shortened, mutilated, or lacking part”
Ancient Greek
Greek
kolobōma
“A mutilation, defect, or missing piece”
Late Antiquity
Greek
kolobōma
“A bodily defect or incomplete structure”
19th Century
Medical Latin
coloboma
“A congenital fissure or defect, especially of the eye”
Modern English
English
coloboma
“A developmental gap or notch in an eye structure”
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