Standard Lemma guide

nystagmus

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /nɪˈstæɡ.məs/
  • /naɪˈstæɡ.məs/
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Rapid and excessive involuntary eye movement, usually lateral.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: biology, medicine, natural-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

involuntary movements of the eyeballs; its presence or absence is used to diagnose a variety of neurological and visual disorders

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: eye movement

Narrower terms: physiological nystagmus, rotational nystagmus, post-rotational nystagmus

History

Etymology

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

Across languages

Translations

11 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: رَأْرَأَة (raʔraʔa) — rapid and excessive involuntary eye movement
  • Bulgarian: ниста́гъм (nistágǎm) — rapid and excessive involuntary eye movement
  • Czech: nystagmus — rapid and excessive involuntary eye movement
  • Finnish: silmävärve — rapid and excessive involuntary eye movement
  • Finnish: värve — rapid and excessive involuntary eye movement
  • French: nystagmus — rapid and excessive involuntary eye movement
  • Greek: νυσταγμός (nystagmós) — rapid and excessive involuntary eye movement
  • Italian: nistagmo — rapid and excessive involuntary eye movement
  • Polish: oczopląs — rapid and excessive involuntary eye movement
  • Russian: ниста́гм (nistágm) — rapid and excessive involuntary eye movement
  • Spanish: nistagmo — rapid and excessive involuntary eye movement