Retina

How to spell retina

6 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce retina

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does retina mean?

1. nounThe light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye that converts images into nerve signals.

Retina in a sentence

• The optician examined the retina for early signs of damage.

• A detached retina can cause sudden loss of vision and needs urgent treatment.

Where does retina come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from medieval Latin retina, a term coined by medical writers to name the delicate membrane at the back of the eye. It traces back to the Latin rete, meaning 'net', because early anatomists thought the layer resembled a fine net of blood vessels spread across the inside of the eyeball. The form passed into English through the Latin of medieval medicine around the 1300s and 1400s, keeping its scholarly spelling intact. The same rete root survives in 'reticule' and 'reticulated', both of which carry the idea of a netted or net-like pattern. Knowing that the second syllable is simply Latin for 'net' helps fix the spelling, since the unstressed middle vowel is easy to slur in speech.

How the word is built

• retin- (from Latin rete: net)
• -a (noun ending)