retrobulbar
|re-tro-bul-bar|
🇺🇸
/ˌrɛtroʊˈbʌlbər/
🇬🇧
/ˌrɛtrəʊˈbʌlbə/
behind the eyeball
Etymology
'retrobulbar' originates from New Latin (medical formation), specifically from the Latin prefix 'retro-' meaning 'backward' and 'bulbar' derived from Latin 'bulbus' meaning 'bulb' (used for the eyeball).
'retrobulbar' was formed in medical New Latin as 'retrobulbaris' (or similar Late Latin formation) combining 'retro-' + 'bulbar', and it entered English from medical Latin usage in the 19th–20th century as the adjective 'retrobulbar'.
Initially it literally meant 'behind a bulb' (from 'bulbus'), and over time it has come to be used specifically to mean 'behind the eyeball' in ophthalmic and medical contexts.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
located or occurring behind the eyeball (the globe of the eye). Often used in medical contexts (e.g., retrobulbar hemorrhage, retrobulbar injection).
A retrobulbar injection was administered before the operation to provide local anesthesia.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/07 05:16