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Origin and history of scotoma

scotoma(n.)

(plural scotomata), 1875 as "defect in the visual field," from Late Latin scotoma, from Latinized form of Greek skotōma "dizziness," from skotoun "to darken," from skotos "darkness" (from PIE root *skoto- "dark, shade."). Earlier as "dizziness accompanied by dimness of sight" (1540s). Related: Scotomatical.

also from 1875

Entries linking to scotoma

*skoto-

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "dark, shade." 

It might form all or part of: nightshade; scotoma; shade; shadow; shady.

It might also be the source of: Greek skotos "darkness, gloom;" Albanian kot "darkness;" Old Irish scath, Old Welsh scod, Breton squeut "darkness," Gaelic sgath "shade, shadow, shelter;" Old English scead "partial darkness," sceadu "shade, shadow, darkness," Dutch schaduw, German Schatten, Gothic skadus "shadow." 

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    Trends of scotoma

    adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

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    scapegoat
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    quell
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    trend
    1590s, "to run or bend in a certain direction" (of rivers, coasts, etc.), from Middle English trenden "to roll about, turn, revolve," from Old English trendan "turn round, revolve, roll," from Proto-Germanic *trandijan (source also of Old English trinde "round lump, ball," Old Fr
    handicap
    1650s, from hand in cap, a game whereby two bettors would engage a neutral umpire to determine the odds in an unequal contest. The bettors would put their hands holding forfeit money into a hat or cap. The umpire would announce the odds and the bettors would withdraw their hands
    bucket
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    gorgeous
    c. 1500, "splendid, showy, sumptuously adorned" (of clothing), from French gorgias "elegant, fashionable," a word of unknown origin; perhaps a special use of gorgias "necklace" (and thus "fond of or resembling jewelry"), from Old French gorge "throat," also "something adorning th
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    Old English fæðm "length of the outstretched arms" (a measure of about six feet), also "arms, grasp, embrace," and, figuratively "power," from Proto-Germanic *fathmaz "embrace" (source also of Old Norse faðmr "embrace, bosom," Old Saxon fathmos "the outstretched arms," Dutch vade

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