Oculi

Oculi are the plural form of oculus, a Latin word meaning "eye." In English usage, oculus refers to a circular opening or window, and oculi denotes multiple such openings. The term is most common in architectural descriptions and in scholarly contexts where Latin terms are used.

In architecture, an oculus is a circular opening in a wall or ceiling that admits light or air. It is a feature of classical Roman design and has persisted through Renaissance, Baroque, and later styles. Oculi may be plain or set with glass and finished with decorative molding. The Pantheon in Rome features a famous oculus at the apex of its dome.

In other contexts, oculus is used as the Latin word for "eye." The plural oculli is the Latin plural, used mainly in historical or academic texts. In zoology and anatomy, more common terms for multiple eyes are used in English, and "ocellus" and its plural "ocelli" refer to simple eyes in many invertebrates, a different concept from architectural oculi.

Today, oculi appear in architectural criticism, art history, and encyclopedic writing. The term signals a circular opening rather than a general image of eyes, helping distinguish structural features from biological references.