nystagmus

ny·stag·mus
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/nɪˈstæɡ.məs//naɪˈstæɡ.məs/

noun

Rapid and excessive involuntary eye movement, usually lateral.

Similar
miner's disease
OriginNew Latin nystagmus ← Ancient Greek νυσταγμός →
UncommonScrabble 15
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Meanings

nounnystagmus (countable and uncountable, plural nystagmuses)

plural nystagmuses

  1. countableuncountablebiologyRapid and excessive involuntary eye movement, usually lateral.

    For months Travis had seen his solitary figure, shoulders hunched inside the flying jacket, in more and more newsreels, as an extra in war films, and then as a patient in an elegant ophthalmic film on nystagmus

    1970, JG Ballard, The Atrocity Exhibition

    Synonyms: miner's disease

Synonyms & antonyms

nounRapid and excessive involuntary eye movement, usually lateral.

Similar
miner's disease

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekνυσταγμός“nodding, drowsiness”
  2. New Latinnystagmus
  3. Englishnystagmus

First attested in 1798. From New Latin nystagmus, from Ancient Greek νυσταγμός (nustagmós, “nodding, drowsiness”), from νυστάζω (nustázō, “nod, be sleepy”).

More words from New Latin, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic رَأْرَأَة
  • رَأْرَأَة (raʔraʔa)rapid and excessive involuntary eye movement
Bulgarian ниста́гъм
  • ниста́гъм (nistágăm)rapid and excessive involuntary eye movement
Czech nystagmus
  • nystagmusrapid and excessive involuntary eye movement
Finnish silmävärve, värve
  • silmävärverapid and excessive involuntary eye movement
  • värverapid and excessive involuntary eye movement
French nystagmus
  • nystagmusrapid and excessive involuntary eye movement
Greek νυσταγμός
  • νυσταγμός (nystagmós)rapid and excessive involuntary eye movement
Italian nistagmo
  • nistagmorapid and excessive involuntary eye movement
Polish oczopląs
  • oczopląsrapid and excessive involuntary eye movement
Russian ниста́гм
  • ниста́гм (nistágm)rapid and excessive involuntary eye movement
Spanish nistagmo
  • nistagmorapid and excessive involuntary eye movement
Cite this entry
APA

nystagmus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nystagmus

MLA

“nystagmus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nystagmus. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nystagmus,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nystagmus.

Source: nystagmus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.