retina
English

Etymology
From Middle English rethina, borrowing from Medieval Latin rētīna (“retina”, feminine noun), ellipsis of tunica rētīna (“net-like tunic”), used to describe the blood vessel system at the back of the eye. The phrase is attested in the 12th century in Guillelmus the abbot and Gerard of Cremona—the latter may have created this phrase as a translation for Arabic طَبَقَة شَبَكِيَّة (ṭabaqa šabakiyya) "net-like layer", which translates Ancient Greek ἀμφιβληστροειδής χῐτών (amphiblēstroeidḗs khitṓn, “retina”),[1] which is attested in the ancient medical writer Galen.[2]
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈɹɛt.ɪ.nə/
Audio (Southern England) (file)
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈɹɛt.ə.nə/, /ˈɹɛt.nə/
- Rhymes: -ɛtɪnə
Noun
retina (plural retinas or retinae or (archaic) retinæ)
- (ophthalmology) The thin layer of cells at the back of the eyeball that contains rods and cones sensitive to light, which trigger nerve impulses that pass via the optic nerve to the brain, where a visual image is formed.
Derived terms
- calretinin
- detached retina
- ectoretina
- hemiretina
- neuroretina
- retinal
- retinex
- retino-, retin-
Translations
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References
- Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “retina”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
- “ἀμφιβληστροειδής”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “retina”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
- “retina”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
Catalan
Further reading
- “retina” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
Dutch
Etymology
From Medieval Latin rētina, the diminutive form of Latin rēte (“net”), probably from Vulgar Latin tunica retina (literally “net-like tunic”), used to describe the blood vessel system at the back of the eye.
Pronunciation
Audio (file) - Hyphenation: re‧ti‧na
Anagrams
Finnish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈretinɑ/, [ˈre̞t̪inɑ̝]
- Rhymes: -etinɑ
- Syllabification(key): re‧ti‧na
Declension
Inflection of retina (Kotus type 13/katiska, no gradation) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
nominative | retina | retinat | ||
genitive | retinan | retinoiden retinoitten retinojen | ||
partitive | retinaa | retinoita retinoja | ||
illative | retinaan | retinoihin | ||
singular | plural | |||
nominative | retina | retinat | ||
accusative | nom. | retina | retinat | |
gen. | retinan | |||
genitive | retinan | retinoiden retinoitten retinojen retinainrare | ||
partitive | retinaa | retinoita retinoja | ||
inessive | retinassa | retinoissa | ||
elative | retinasta | retinoista | ||
illative | retinaan | retinoihin | ||
adessive | retinalla | retinoilla | ||
ablative | retinalta | retinoilta | ||
allative | retinalle | retinoille | ||
essive | retinana | retinoina | ||
translative | retinaksi | retinoiksi | ||
abessive | retinatta | retinoitta | ||
instructive | — | retinoin | ||
comitative | See the possessive forms below. |
Possessive forms of retina (Kotus type 13/katiska, no gradation) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Further reading
- “retina”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-03
Hungarian
Etymology
From Late Latin rētina, the diminutive form of Latin rēte (“net”).[1]
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈrɛtinɒ]
- Hyphenation: re‧ti‧na
- Rhymes: -nɒ
Noun
retina (plural retinák)
Declension
Inflection (stem in long/high vowel, back harmony) | ||
---|---|---|
singular | plural | |
nominative | retina | retinák |
accusative | retinát | retinákat |
dative | retinának | retináknak |
instrumental | retinával | retinákkal |
causal-final | retináért | retinákért |
translative | retinává | retinákká |
terminative | retináig | retinákig |
essive-formal | retinaként | retinákként |
essive-modal | retinául | — |
inessive | retinában | retinákban |
superessive | retinán | retinákon |
adessive | retinánál | retináknál |
illative | retinába | retinákba |
sublative | retinára | retinákra |
allative | retinához | retinákhoz |
elative | retinából | retinákból |
delative | retináról | retinákról |
ablative | retinától | retináktól |
non-attributive possessive - singular |
retináé | retináké |
non-attributive possessive - plural |
retináéi | retinákéi |
Possessive forms of retina | ||
---|---|---|
possessor | single possession | multiple possessions |
1st person sing. | retinám | retináim |
2nd person sing. | retinád | retináid |
3rd person sing. | retinája | retinái |
1st person plural | retinánk | retináink |
2nd person plural | retinátok | retináitok |
3rd person plural | retinájuk | retináik |
References
- Tótfalusi, István. Idegenszó-tár: Idegen szavak értelmező és etimológiai szótára (’A Storehouse of Foreign Words: an explanatory and etymological dictionary of foreign words’). Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó, 2005. →ISBN
Further reading
- retina in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (‘The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
Italian
Etymology 1
The original sense (Etymology 2) of retina, but given a specific anatomical meaning.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈrɛ.ti.na/
- Rhymes: -ɛtina
- Hyphenation: rè‧ti‧na
Derived terms
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /reˈti.na/
- Rhymes: -ina
- Hyphenation: re‧tì‧na
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /reˈti.na/
- Rhymes: -ina
- Hyphenation: re‧tì‧na
Verb
retina
- inflection of retinare:
- third-person singular present indicative
- second-person singular imperative
Latin
Etymology 1
Generally explained as a deverbal of retineō (“hold back”).[1][2] Alternatively, derived from retinācula ("reins" - far more common than the singular retināculum), reinterpreted as a feminine diminutive and back-formed into retina. Attested in the Glossarium Ansileubi, which was written between 650 and 800 CE.[3]
Noun
retina f (genitive retinae); first declension (Early Medieval Latin)
Inflection
First-declension noun.
Case | Singular | Plural |
---|---|---|
Nominative | retina | retinae |
Genitive | retinae | retinārum |
Dative | retinae | retinīs |
Accusative | retinam | retinās |
Ablative | retinā | retinīs |
Vocative | retina | retinae |
Descendants
- Italo-Romance:
- North Italian: (sometimes blended with briglia)
- Gallo-Romance:
- Occitano-Romance:
- Catalan: regna
- Occitan: retna
- Ibero-Romance:
References
- Etymology and history of “rêne”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
- Joan Coromines, José A. Pascual (1983) “rienda”, in Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico (in Spanish), volumes V (Ri–X), Madrid: Gredos, →ISBN, page 12
- Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “*rĕtina”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 10: R, page 333
- 2. RETINA in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Pronunciation
- rētīna: (Classical) IPA(key): /reːˈtiː.na/, [reːˈt̪iːnä]
- rētīna: (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /reˈti.na/, [reˈt̪iːnä]
Adjective
rētīna
- inflection of rētīnus:
- nominative/vocative feminine singular
- nominative/accusative/vocative neuter plural
rētīnā
- ablative feminine singular of rētīnus
Etymology 3
Ellipsis of tunica rētīna (“a net-like tunic”), referring to the fibrillar texture of the eye's retina.[1] The phrase is attested since at least the 12th century, and this noun usage since the 13th c.
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /reːˈtiː.na/, [reːˈt̪iːnä]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /reˈti.na/, [reˈt̪iːnä]
Noun
rētīna f (genitive rētīnae); first declension
- (Medieval Latin, anatomy) the retina of an eye
- 13th c., Roger Bacon, Opus maius 5.1.2.3:
- Et dicit Avicenna quarto de Animalibus, quod retina ducit nutrimentum secundum veritatem ad partes oculi
- And Avicenna says in his fourth book on Animals that the retina actually takes nutrients to the parts of the eye
- Et dicit Avicenna quarto de Animalibus, quod retina ducit nutrimentum secundum veritatem ad partes oculi
Inflection
First-declension noun.
Case | Singular | Plural |
---|---|---|
Nominative | rētīna | rētīnae |
Genitive | rētīnae | rētīnārum |
Dative | rētīnae | rētīnīs |
Accusative | rētīnam | rētīnās |
Ablative | rētīnā | rētīnīs |
Vocative | rētīna | rētīnae |
Descendants
- → Middle English: rethina
- English: retina
References
- “retina”, in OED Online
, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
Etymology 4
An etymologising spelling, closer to the word’s etymon Ancient Greek ῥητῑ́νη (rhētī́nē, “resin of the pine”).
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /reːˈtiː.na/, [reːˈt̪iːnä]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /reˈti.na/, [reˈt̪iːnä]
Inflection
First-declension noun.
Case | Singular | Plural |
---|---|---|
Nominative | rētīna | rētīnae |
Genitive | rētīnae | rētīnārum |
Dative | rētīnae | rētīnīs |
Accusative | rētīnam | rētīnās |
Ablative | rētīnā | rētīnīs |
Vocative | rētīna | rētīnae |
References
- 1. RETINA in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
Portuguese
Pronunciation
- (Brazil) IPA(key): /ʁeˈt͡ʃĩ.nɐ/ [heˈt͡ʃĩ.nɐ]
- (Rio de Janeiro) IPA(key): /ʁeˈt͡ʃĩ.nɐ/ [χeˈt͡ʃĩ.nɐ]
- (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /ʁeˈt͡ʃi.na/ [heˈt͡ʃi.na]
- (Portugal) IPA(key): /ʁɨˈti.nɐ/
- Hyphenation: re‧ti‧na
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb
retina
- inflection of retinir:
- first/third-person singular present subjunctive
- third-person singular imperative
Romanian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /reˈti.na/
- Rhymes: -ina
- Hyphenation: re‧ti‧na
Spanish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /reˈtina/ [reˈt̪i.na]
Audio (Colombia): (file) - Rhymes: -ina
- Syllabification: re‧ti‧na
Further reading
- “retina”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014