Eyelid
/ˈaɪ.lɪd/noun
The fold of skin that covers and protects the eye.
Did you know?The word is a transparent Old English compound, and its second half, *lid*, is the same old Germanic word family that gave English *lid* for a cover or flap.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₃ekʷ-
“to see”
Old English
OE
ēage
“eye”
Old English
OE
hlid
“cover, lid, gate, door”
Old English
OE
ēaghlid
“eyelid, literally eye-cover”
Middle English
ME
eghlid / eyelid
“eyelid”
Modern English
English
eyelid
“the fold of skin that covers the eye”