An eyelash or simply lash is one of the hairs that grows at the edge of the eyelid. Eyelashes protect the eye from debris and perform some of the same function as whiskers do on a cat or a mouse in the sense that they are sensitive to being touched, thus providing a warning that an object (such as an insect ) is near the eye (which then closes reflexively).
The Ancient Greek word for eyelash is βλέφαρον (transliterated as blepharon), which is seen as a root in biological terms like Blephara.