Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

ophthalmia

/ɑpˈθælmiə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.38 in modern English

Syllables: oph-thalmia
IPA: /ɑpˈθælmiə/

20

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Synonym of ophthalmitis (“inflammation of the eye”).

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Dr. Buck reports that the Swabians also believe in the efficacy of fasting spittle for sore eyes; and our never-failing Pliny records the Roman belief that ophthalmia may be cured by anointing the eyes every morning with fasting spittle."

Etymology

From Medieval Latin obtalmia and Old French obtalmie, ultimately from Ancient Greek ὀφθαλμός (ophthalmós). Re-classicized from the Greek spelling, instead of archaic obtalmy (“eye inflammation, (also?) longsightedness”).

Origin

Source language: Old French

Word Breakdown

Root: obtalmia, obtalmie, ὀφθαλμός

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ɑpˈθælmiə/
British English: /ɒfˈθælmiə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

ophthalmias (plural)

Derived Forms

xenophthalmia xerophthalmia xeropthalmia

Phrases

ophthalmia neonatorum sympathetic ophthalmia ophthalmo-

Frequently Paired Words

ophthalmo-

Synonyms

ophthalmitis

Questions

How do you pronounce ophthalmia?: The recorded pronunciation is /ɑpˈθælmiə/.
What does ophthalmia mean?: Synonym of ophthalmitis (“inflammation of the eye”).
Where does ophthalmia come from?: It is traced to Old French.

How to pronounce ophthalmia

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “ophthalmia”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ɑpˈθælmiə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “ophthalmia”.
Repeat and practice — Say “ophthalmia” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.