Cornea
/ˈkɔːr.ni.ə/noun
The transparent outer layer covering the front of the eye.
Did you know?Cornea comes through Latin from Greek kornē, meaning “horn,” because the tough, curved tissue was compared to horn-like material long before modern optics explained it.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ḱer-
“horn, head, or projecting point”
Ancient Greek
Greek
kórnē / kéras
“horn; horn-like projection”
Latin
Latin
cornea
“horny (feminine form of corneus), horn-like”
Late Latin / Medieval Latin
Latin
cornea (tunica)
“the horn-like membrane of the eye”
Middle English
English
cornea
“the transparent front part of the eye”