saccade

noun

sac·​cade sa-ˈkäd 

: a small rapid jerky movement of the eye especially as it jumps from fixation on one point to another (as in reading)

saccadic

sa-ˈkä-dik 

adjective

Examples of saccade in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Running underneath these higher level behavior states are lower level motion behaviors like breathing, small head movements, eye blinking, and saccades (the quick eye movements that occur when people, or robots, look between two different focal points). —IEEE Spectrum, 2 Nov. 2020

Instead, anything they’re shown during a 100-millisecond period right before the saccade becomes visible only after the saccade ends. —Tim Vernimmen, Discover Magazine, 19 June 2019

Binda and Morrone call this time window right before the saccade the confusion period. —Tim Vernimmen, Discover Magazine, 19 June 2019

So how do these brain cells know in advance that a saccade is on the way? —Tim Vernimmen, Discover Magazine, 19 June 2019

Micah Mazurek The team created three games to enhance a child’s ability to control eye movements, including saccades. —Sarah Deweerdt, Science | AAAS, 22 June 2018

Word History

Etymology

French, twitch, jerk, from Middle French, from saquer to pull, draw

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

saccade

noun

sac·​cade sa-ˈkäd 

: a small rapid jerky movement of the eye especially as it jumps from fixation on one point to another (as in reading)

saccadic

-ˈkäd-ik 

adjective