Meanings
plural eyebrights
- countableuncountableAny of the flowering plants of the genus Euphrasia, originally as used to treat eye infections.First known use 16th c.
He looks for eyebright, a tiny flowering herb he has seen before, and which he knows would make a good eye-wash: not to be found.
1999, Julia Leigh, The Hunter, Faber & Faber 2012, p. 911 more example
Paracelsus had been recommending the plant eyebright for bad eyes in the sixteenth century; it was still in widespread use in the eighteenth.
1997, Roy Porter, The Greatest Benefit to Mankind, Folio Society, published 2016, page 273Synonyms: euphrasy
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAny of the flowering plants of the genus Euphrasia, originally as used to treat eye infections.
Origin
Compound of eye (noun) + bright (verb).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic عَرْقُون
- عَرْقُون (ʕarqūn)any of the flowering plants of the genus Euphrasia
Bulgarian очанка
- очанка (očanka)any of the flowering plants of the genus Euphrasia
Catalan eufràsia
- eufràsiaany of the flowering plants of the genus Euphrasia
Chinese Mandarin 小米草
- 小米草 (xiǎomǐcǎo)any of the flowering plants of the genus Euphrasia
Czech světlík
- světlíkany of the flowering plants of the genus Euphrasia
Dutch ogentroost
- ogentroostany of the flowering plants of the genus Euphrasia
Finnish silmäruoho
- silmäruohoany of the flowering plants of the genus Euphrasia
French euphraise
- euphraiseany of the flowering plants of the genus Euphrasia
German Augentrost
- Augentrostany of the flowering plants of the genus Euphrasia
Hungarian szemvidítófű
- szemvidítófűany of the flowering plants of the genus Euphrasia
Irish glanrosc, líon radhairc
- glanroscany of the flowering plants of the genus Euphrasia
- líon radhaircany of the flowering plants of the genus Euphrasia
- rinn roiscany of the flowering plants of the genus Euphrasia
- roisnínany of the flowering plants of the genus Euphrasia
- roisnín radhaircany of the flowering plants of the genus Euphrasia
- soilse na súlany of the flowering plants of the genus Euphrasia
Italian euphrasia
- euphrasiaany of the flowering plants of the genus Euphrasia
Māori tūtaekiore, tūtūmako
- tūtaekioreany of the flowering plants of the genus Euphrasia
- tūtūmakoany of the flowering plants of the genus Euphrasia
Polish świetlik
- świetlikany of the flowering plants of the genus Euphrasia
Russian оча́нка
- оча́нка (očánka)any of the flowering plants of the genus Euphrasia
Slovak očianka
- očiankaany of the flowering plants of the genus Euphrasia
Spanish ojo brillante
- ojo brillanteany of the flowering plants of the genus Euphrasia
Swedish ögontröst
- ögontröstany of the flowering plants of the genus Euphrasia
Welsh effros
- effrosany of the flowering plants of the genus Euphrasia
Cite this entry
eyebright. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eyebright
“eyebright.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eyebright. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “eyebright,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eyebright.
Source: eyebright on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.