bifocals

English

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bifocals

Where it comes from

From bi- + focal (see focus), coined in 1824 by John Isaac Hawkins, inventor of trifocals. When the concept of bifocals was originally conceived by Benjamin Franklin, he called them double spectacles.

noun

plural, plural only Spectacles that have corrective lenses of two different powers; used by people who need both distance and reading glasses. He unfolded a pair of bifocals and thrust them as far up the bridge of his nose as possible.

Translations

Every language

noun spectacles with two different powers

中文	雙光眼鏡 /双光眼镜
Français	verres bifocaux, verres double foyer
Deutsch	Bifokalbrille, Zweistärkenbrille

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MLA

"bifocals." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/bifocals. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

bifocals. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/bifocals

Chicago

"bifocals." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/bifocals.

BibTeX

@misc{bifocals_2026,
  title = {bifocals},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/bifocals},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}