cat's eye

• cat's-eye
• catseye

An allusion to the way a cat's eyes will appear to glow when illuminated in the dark. In mineralogy, a calque of French œil de chat.

Cat's eyes (road markings)

Cat's eyes (marbles)

cat's eye (countable and uncountable, plural cats' eyes or cat's eyes)

1. (countable, British, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, usually in the plural) A retroreflective device placed on a road surface as a marking that can be seen even at night.
2. (countable) A glass marble with elongated colourful inclusions running through its axis.

   Synonym: cat-eye

3. A gemstone exhibiting chatoyancy.
4. (mineralogy) Cymophane (translucent yellow chatoyant chrysoberyl).
5. (countable, New Zealand) A sea snail, Lunella smaragda
6. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see cat,‎ eye.; the eye of a cat.

• cat-eyes