lens

[lenz]

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.

verb (used with object)

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

Lens

¹

/ 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)

lens

²

/ 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

lens

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.

lens

¹

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.)

lens

²

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

Other Word Forms

• lensless adjective
• lenslike adjective
• unlensed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of lens¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of lens¹

C17: from Latin lēns lentil, referring to the similarity of a lens to the shape of a lentil

Example Sentences

Straights and queers, in other words, never get a clear view of each other through a flat lens.

From Salon

Todd’s own legs, however, are often doubled by Leonberg, an onscreen switcheroo that’s possible because the lens doesn’t tend to look up.

From Los Angeles Times

I worried that someone might spot the hidden lens, or the battery would fall out of my clothes.

From BBC

Seen through a historically accurate lens, America has only been a multiracial democracy — and an aspirational one in progress — for about sixty years.

From Salon

David Osit’s absorbing documentary “Predators” turns that investigative lens on the show itself.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• glass