also: しゅんぼく
blinking; nictitation; winking
Only with reading しゅんもく
Physiological term for the act of blinking or winking. Used in medical or scientific contexts.
瞬目反射は、まぶしさから目を守るために起こる。
The blink reflex occurs to protect the eyes from brightness.
ドライアイの患者は、瞬目の回数が増えることが
Archaic noun meaning a very short time, literally 'a blink of an eye'. Not used in modern Japanese; replaced by 瞬間 or 一瞬.
Patients with dry eye may blink more frequently.
In classical Japanese, 瞬目 can mean 'a very short time'.
corneal reflex; blink reflex
Standard kanji form for the physiological sense. The reading しゅんもく is the primary pronunciation.
Alternate reading given; less common than しゅんもく.
Compound of 瞬 (blink, moment) and 目 (eye). The physiological sense is a direct Sino-Japanese term; the archaic temporal sense derives from the metaphor of a blink as a brief moment.