eyepatch
Word family
- eye patchnounB1
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
Both 'eyepatch' (one word) and 'eye patch' (two words) refer to the same item; the one-word form is more common in everyday English while the two-word form appears more often in medical contexts. 'Patch' alone is used informally ('He wore a patch over his left eye'), but can also refer to a skin patch (e.g. a nicotine patch) — so context matters. An 'eye shield' is a rigid plastic or metal cup that protects the eye after surgery but does not stick to the skin like an adhesive eyepatch. A 'bandage' is a general strip of material for wounds anywhere on the body, not specifically for the eye. For example: 'After his eye surgery, the nurse fitted a clear plastic eye shield over the bandage.'
Common collocations
Etymology
The word combines 'eye' (from Old English ēage, meaning 'organ of sight') with 'patch' (from Old English pæċċ, meaning 'a piece of cloth worn over a wound'). The compound form dates from the 18th century and originally referred specifically to cloth coverings used by sailors who lost an eye in battle or due to disease.