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From:wsmith@wordsmith.org
To:linguaphile@wordsmith.org
Subject:A.Word.A.Day--ocellus
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Date:Wed, 11 Apr 2001 02:02:00 -0700 (PDT)

ocellus (o-SEL-uhs) noun, plural ocelli

1. A small simple eye common to invertebrates.

2. An eyelike colored spot on an animal (as on peacock feathers,
butterfly wings, fish, etc.) or on a leaf of a plant.

[Latin ocellus, little eye, diminutive of oculus, eye.]

"The sarcastic fringehead is an extremely territorial fish found along
the Pacific Coast from San Francisco Bay to Baja California ... The ocelli
on their dorsal fins are metallic blue, surrounded by a golden ring."
The Kids' Reading Room, The Los Angeles Times, Jul 18, 2000.

This week's theme: words to describe odds and ends.

............................................................................
Nature magically suits a man to his fortunes, by making them the fruit of
his character. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)

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Pronunciation:
http://wordsmith.org/words/ocellus.wav
http://wordsmith.org/words/ocellus.ram