Fresnel lens

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noun

Optics. a large lens with a surface of concentric grooves of prismatic profile, used in automobile headlights, searchlights, spotlights, etc.

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Origin of Fresnel lens

First recorded in 1840–50; see origin at fresnel

Words nearby Fresnel lens

freshwater, freshwater drum, freshwater pearl, fresnel, Fresnel biprism, Fresnel lens, Fresnel mirrors, Fresno, fress, fret, fretboard

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Fresnel lens in a sentence

It reminded me a bit of an alternative take on The Wolf of Wall Street—through the Toni and Candace lens.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And he said, I know you see this crisis through a very personal lens.
The NY Police Union’s Vile War with Mayor De Blasio|Michael Tomasky|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The camera dollied backward along the length of the tower's staircase while simultaneously its lens zoomed forward.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I see my personal experiences as a lens to look at something much bigger.
Meghan Daum On Tackling The Unspeakable Parts Of Life|David Yaffe|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST

They, like Klain, deserve to be seen through a historical lens before we rush to judgment.
Does Ebola Need An Organization Man?|Nicolaus Mills|October 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Go carefully over the film with an oil-immersion lens, using a mechanical stage if available.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Still kneeling, he drew from his waistcoat pocket a powerful lens contained in a washleather bag.
Dope|Sax Rohmer
By far the greatest of these scientific inventions are those which depend upon the lens.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
It was a little longer than the usual three cell case, and there was a finely ground lens at the end.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
He removed his glasses and wiped them slowly and carefully, polishing each lens with meticulous care.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various

British Dictionary definitions for Fresnel lens

Fresnel lens

noun

a lens consisting of a number of smaller lenses arranged to give a flat surface of short focal length

Word Origin for Fresnel lens

C20: named after Augustin Jean Fresnel (1788–1827), French physicist

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for Fresnel lens

Fresnel lens

[ frə-nĕl′ ]

A thin optical lens consisting of concentric rings of segmental lenses and having a short focal length. Placing a light source at the focal point of the lens gives rise to a strong beam of nearly parallel rays. Fresnel lenses are used primarily in spotlights, lighthouses, and the headlights of motor vehicles.