lens
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lens¹
- /lɛnz/
Rhymes with -ɛnz
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Latin lēns (“lentil”), with Medieval Latin later taking on the sense of “lens”, a semantic loan from Arabic عَدَسَة (ʕadasa, “lentil; optic lens”); the similar shape is the common factor.
noun lenses · lens · lentes · lense
- An object, usually made of glass, that focuses or defocuses the light that passes through it. Not long ago, it was difficult to produce photographs of tiny creatures with every part in focus. That’s because the lenses that are excellent at magnifying tiny subjects produce a narrow depth of field.
- A device which focuses or defocuses other waves or radiation, such as microwave radiation, electron beams, sound waves (acoustic lenses), or explosions (explosive lenses).
- A convex shape bounded by two circular arcs, joined at their endpoints, the corresponding concave shape being a lune.
- The transparent crystalline structure in the eye. The single-imaging optic of the mammalian eye offers some distinct visual advantages. Such lenses can take in photons from a wide range of angles, increasing light sensitivity. They also have high spatial resolution, resolving incoming images in minute detail.
- A body of rock, ice, or water shaped like a convex lens.
-
A convex layer of fresh groundwater that floats above the denser saltwater, usually found on small coral or limestone islands and atolls.
Similar: freshwater lens, Ghyben-Herzberg lens
- A construct used in statically-typed functional programming languages to access nested data structures.
- A way of looking, literally or figuratively, at something. If "the public looks at the condition of America's children largely through a negative lens," worries Child Trends[…], "it may be more difficult to […] promote child well-being."
verb lenses · lensing · lensed · lense
- To film, shoot. It’s set in an anonymous, upper-middle-class suburb, lensed in the generic gunmetal gray that will one day appear as dated as the fuzzy outlines of ’80s direct-to-video horror movies.
- To become thinner towards the edges.
Lens²
proper noun
- A municipality in Hainaut, Belgium.
- A commune in Pas-de-Calais department, Hauts-de-France, France.
- A municipality in Valais canton, Switzerland.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: crystalline lens, electron lens, genus lens, lens system, eyepiece, mirror, focus, optics, light, monocle, camera, lighting, angle, prism, footage, bandwidth
Translations
Every language
noun object focusing or defocusing the light passing through it
| Español | lente, luneta, cristal, luna |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 렌즈 renjeu |
| 日本語 | レンズ renzu |
| 中文 | 透鏡 /透镜 tòujìng, 鏡片 /镜片 jìngpiàn, 鏡頭 /镜头 jìngtóu |
| हिन्दी | लेंस lens |
| Kiswahili | lensi |
| Português | lente |
| Français | lentille |
| Deutsch | Linse |
| Italiano | lentille, lente |
| Ελληνικά | φακός fakós |
| Română | lentilă |
| Русский | ли́нза línza, объекти́в obʺjektív |
| Tiếng Việt | thấu kính |
| العربية | عَدَسَة ʕadasa |
| עברית | עֲדָשָׁה adashá |
noun device which focuses or defocuses electron beams
| Português | lente |
|---|---|
| Français | lentille |
| Deutsch | Linse |
| Ελληνικά | φακός fakós |
noun anatomy: transparent crystalline structure in the eye
| Español | cristalino |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 수정체 sujeongche |
| 日本語 | 水晶体 suishōtai |
| 中文 | 晶狀體 /晶状体 jīngzhuàngtǐ, 水晶體 /水晶体 shuǐjīngtǐ |
| Português | cristalino |
| Français | cristallin |
| Deutsch | Linse |
| Ελληνικά | φακός fakós |
| Română | cristalin |
| Русский | хруста́лик xrustálik |
| العربية | عَدَسَة اَلْعَيْن ʕadasat al-ʕayn |
Talk about this word "lens." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/lens. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. lens. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/lens "lens." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/lens.Cite this
@misc{lens_2026,
title = {lens},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/lens},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
