opia

n. the ambiguous intensity of looking someone in the eye, which can feel simultaneously invasive and vulnerable—their pupils glittering, bottomless and opaque—as if you were peering through a hole in the door of a house, able to tell that there's someone standing there, but unable to tell if you're looking in or looking out.

Greek óπιο (ópio), opium + ωπία (-opía), of the eyes. The word pupil is from the Latin pupilla, "little girl-doll," a reference to the tiny image of yourself you see reflected in the eyes of another. This idea was the origin of the Elizabethan expression to look babies, which means "to stare lovingly into another's eyes." Pronounced "oh-pee-uh."

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