Adjacent Words

vitreous humor definitions

	Tweet

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the clear colorless transparent jelly that fills the posterior chamber of the eyeball [syn: vitreous humor, vitreous humour, vitreous body]

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 14th century the clear colorless transparent jelly that fills the eyeball posterior to the lens — see eye illustration

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Vitreous Vit"re*ous, a. [L. vitreous, from vitrum glass; perhaps akin to videre to see (see Vision). Cf. Varnish.] 1. Consisting of, or resembling, glass; glassy; as, vitreous rocks. 2. Of or pertaining to glass; derived from glass; as, vitreous electricity. Vitreous body (Anat.), the vitreous humor. See the Note under Eye. Vitreous electricity (Elec.), the kind of electricity excited by rubbing glass with certain substances, as silk; positive electricity; -- opposed to resinous, or negative, electricity. Vitreous humor. (Anat.) See the Note under Eye. Vitreous sponge (Zo["o]l.), any one of numerous species of siliceous sponges having, often fibrous, glassy spicules which are normally six-rayed; a hexactinellid sponge. See Venus's basket, under Venus.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Humor Hu"mor, n. [OE. humour, OF. humor, umor, F. humeur, L. humor, umor, moisture, fluid, fr. humere, umere, to be moist. See Humid.] [Written also humour.] 1. Moisture, especially, the moisture or fluid of animal bodies, as the chyle, lymph, etc.; as, the humors of the eye, etc. Note: The ancient physicians believed that there were four humors (the blood, phlegm, yellow bile or choler, and black bile or melancholy), on the relative proportion of which the temperament and health depended. 2. (Med.) A vitiated or morbid animal fluid, such as often causes an eruption on the skin. ``A body full of humors.'' --Sir W. Temple. 3. State of mind, whether habitual or temporary (as formerly supposed to depend on the character or combination of the fluids of the body); disposition; temper; mood; as, good humor; ill humor. Examine how your humor is inclined, And which the ruling passion of your mind. --Roscommon. A prince of a pleasant humor. --Bacon. I like not the humor of lying. --Shak. 4. pl. Changing and uncertain states of mind; caprices; freaks; vagaries; whims. Is my friend all perfection, all virtue and discretion? Has he not humors to be endured? --South. 5. That quality of the imagination which gives to ideas an incongruous or fantastic turn, and tends to excite laughter or mirth by ludicrous images or representations; a playful fancy; facetiousness. For thy sake I admit That a Scot may have humor, I'd almost said wit. --Goldsmith. A great deal of excellent humor was expended on the perplexities of mine host. --W. Irving. Aqueous humor, Crystalline humor or lens, Vitreous humor. (Anat.) See Eye. Out of humor, dissatisfied; displeased; in an unpleasant frame of mind. Syn: Wit; satire; pleasantry; temper; disposition; mood; frame; whim; fancy; caprice. See Wit.