What does cockeye mean?
A cockeye is an eye that does not point where the other one does — typically one affected by strabismus, the condition popularly called a squint or being cross-eyed. The word is informal and somewhat dated, built on the verb "to cock," meaning to tilt or turn something to one side, as in cocking one's head or a hat. By extension, speakers have used it loosely for anything crooked or askew — a nail driven in at a cockeye, a picture hanging slightly wrong — though this figurative use has largely been taken over by the adjective "cockeyed." Because applying the noun directly to a person's appearance can come across as mocking or unkind, careful writers tend to reserve it for neutral description or light humor. In modern usage the derivative adjective "cockeyed," meaning crooked, tilted, or ridiculous, is considerably more common than the noun itself.
An eye that squints or deviates from the line of vision of the other eye; an eye affected by strabismus.
"The portrait shows him with a faint cockeye, lending his gaze an odd, sidelong quality."
Informal and potentially offensive if applied to a person; prefer "strabismus" or "squint" in neutral or medical contexts.
Informally, a crooked or askew position or angle, by analogy with a tilted eye.
"Every fence post along the road stood at a slight cockeye after the storm."
Standard plural, formed by adding -s.
"Both brothers had cockeyes, a trait that ran in the family."
"Cockeye" turns a medical condition into a picture: an eye literally 'cocked,' or tilted, like a hat worn at a jaunty angle.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cockeye
"Cockeye" combines "cock," in its verb sense of tilting or turning something askew, with "eye," and emerged in colloquial English, likely in the nineteenth century. The underlying image is of an eye 'cocked' to one side like a head or hat tipped at an angle. Its most productive descendant is the adjective "cockeyed," which broadened from describing a squinting eye to mean anything crooked, lopsided, or absurd.
Related word forms
How cockeye is actually used
Informal and somewhat old-fashioned; in medical contexts "strabismus" or "squint" is preferred. The word can sound mocking when applied to a person, so care is needed. The adjective form "cockeyed" is far more common in modern English than the noun.
Easily confused with cockeye
"Cockeye" is a noun naming the misaligned eye itself, while "cockeyed" is an adjective meaning crooked, tilted, or absurd.