Definition of "phosphene" [phos•phene]

• A sensation of light caused by excitation of the retina by mechanical or electrical means rather than by light, as when the eyeballs are pressed through closed lids. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Where the new girl had been there was nothing but a twist of phosphene, peanut-inflected; a stirring of empty air."
• "The patient is instructed not to move his eyes to look directly at the phosphene patterns that are generated during mapping, as eye movement will skew the results, making it necessary to repeat the stimulation sequence."
• "Using genetic engineering, the Pernese bred the fire-lizards into huge "dragons" that, by chewing a phosphene-bearing rock, could breathe fire on Thread, charring it right out of the sky before it could touch the ground."