Lens

Pronunciation

• IPA: /lÉ›nz/
• Rhymes: -É›nz

Origin

Latin lēns ("lentil").

Full definition of lens

Noun

1. An object, usually made of glass, that focuses or defocuses the light that passes through it.
• 2013, Catherine Clabby, Focus on Everything, 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.
2. A device which focuses or defocuses electron beams.
3. (geometry) A convex shape bounded by two circular arcs, joined at their endpoints, the corresponding concave shape being a lune.
4. (biology) A genus of the legume family; its bean.
5. (anatomy) The transparent crystalline structure in the eye.
• 2013, Fenella Saunders, Tiny Lenses See the Big Picture, 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.
6. (by extension, figuratively) A way of looking, literally or figuratively, at something.
• 2004 April 11, Ann Hulbert, "Are the Kids All Right?", in The New York Times Magazine, page 11: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."

Derived terms

Verb

1. (transitive) To film, shoot.
2. (geology) To become thinner towards the edges.