lens

American  

[lenz] / lɛnz /

noun

plural

lenses

1. a piece of transparent substance, usually glass, having two opposite surfaces either both curved or one curved and one plane, used in an optical device in changing the convergence of light rays, as for magnification, or in correcting defects of vision.

2. a combination of such pieces.

3. some analogous device, as for affecting sound waves, electromagnetic radiation, or streams of electrons.

4. Anatomy. crystalline lens.

5. Geology. a body of rock or ore that is thick in the middle and thinner toward the edges, similar in shape to a biconvex lens.

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verb (used with object)

1. Movies. to film (a motion picture).

Lens ¹ British  

/ lɑ̃, lenz /

noun

1. an industrial town in N France, in the Pas de Calais department; badly damaged in both World Wars. Pop: 36 206 (1999)

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lens ² British  

/ lɛnz /

noun

1. a piece of glass or other transparent material, used to converge or diverge transmitted light and form optical images

2. Also called: compound lens.  a combination of such lenses for forming images or concentrating a beam of light

3. a device that diverges or converges a beam of electromagnetic radiation, sound, or particles See electron lens

4. anatomy See crystalline lens

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lens Scientific  

/ lĕnz /

1. A transparent structure behind the iris of the eye that focuses light entering the eye on the retina.

2. 1. A piece of glass or plastic shaped so as to focus or spread light rays that pass through it, often for the purpose of forming an image.

   2. A combination of two or more such lenses, as in a camera or telescope.

3. A device that causes radiation to converge or diverge by an action analogous to that of an optical lens. The system of electric fields used to focus electron beams in electron microscopes is an example of a lens.

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lens ¹ Cultural  

1. A piece of transparent material, such as glass, that forms an image from the rays of light passing through it. (See focal length, refraction, and telescope.)

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lens ² Cultural  

1. A clear, almost spherical structure located just behind the pupil of the eye. The lens focuses waves of light on the retina.

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Other Word Forms

• lensless adjective
• lenslike adjective
• unlensed adjective

Etymology

Origin of lens

First recorded in 1685–95; from New Latin, special use of Latin lēns “a lentil” (from its shape); lentil

Example Sentences

I bent my head to look through the lens—and gasped.

From Literature

In most school curricula, the Holocaust serves as the primary, often exclusive, lens through which the demonization of Jews is understood.

From The Wall Street Journal

She leaned toward the camera with her hand out in front of the lens.

From Literature

The 2024 US Open finalist wrote "no Chiefs jersey today" on a courtside camera lens after her victory and the pair were seen chatting and laughing in the locker room straight after the match.

From BBC

Marking the museum’s 25th anniversary, the Frist looks at this underappreciated history of the city through a female lens and examines the way women have nurtured the arts there.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• glass