Anat. [med.L. uvea (whence It., Sp., Pg. uvea, F. uvée), f. L. ūva UVA.]
† 1. The posterior colored surface or choroid coat of the eye. Obs.
1525. trans. Jerome of Brunswick’s Surg., B j b/2. The vtter most [part of the coat] … is named vuea, & hath the hole of the ball of the iye.
1543. Traheron, Vigo’s Chirurg., Interpr. Words s.v., One of the skynnes of the eye is called vuea bycause it is lyke the stone of a grape.
1615. Crooke, Body of Man (1631), 555. Figure 4 sheweth the Vuea or Grapy coate with a portion of the Opticke Nerue.
1676. Phil. Trans., II. 746. Where he considers, why the Uvea or Choroides is black in Men, but of divers colours in Brutes.
1635. [see PUPIL sb.2 1 β].
1728. Chambers, Cycl. (1738), s.v. Eye, The crystalline [humour], situate immediately under the aqueous, behind the uvea, opposite to the pupil.
1797. Mrs. M. Bryan, Syst. Astron., 156. The uvea commences where the choroides divides from the sclerotica, from which part … the pupil is called the iris.
2. A layer of pigmented cells forming the posterior covering of the iris; the middle coat or vascular tunic of the eye, composed of the choroid, iris, and ciliary body; the uveal tract.
1745. R. James, Med. Dict., s.v. Iris, The generality of Anatomists call that Membrane, which I have spoke of under the Name of Iris, the Uvea.
c. 1760. A. Monro, Anat. Nerves, Wks. (1781), 349. Small fibres … running along the choroid coat on the outside of the retina in their course to the uvea or iris.
1771. Encycl. Brit., I. 289/2. This portion [of the coat of the eye] goes commonly by the particular name of uvea … and … has likewise got the name of iris.
1838. Penny Cycl., X. 139/2. A vertical section of the globe, showing the ciliary body and processes with the uvea.
