lens

[ lenz ]

noun

, plural lens·es.

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 calledcompound 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

/ lĕnz /

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

lens

²

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 .)

Other Words From

• lensless adjective
• lenslike adjective
• un·lensed 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

As someone who writes about food and spends an unreasonable amount of my free time thinking about what to eat next, I began to see cooking through this recalibrated lens.

From Salon

As such, there’s a certain catharsis in watching the Belchers fumble through their Thanksgiving misadventures, especially for someone like me, whose professional lens so often hinges on making the holiday seem better.

From Salon

Through that lens, including “Us” on a best-of-summer list is akin to referring to the locs on my head as a hairstyle — technically true, yet culturally tone-deaf.

From Los Angeles Times

We play with breaking the fourth wall a lot in this movie, moments where they just spike the lens and it connects them in a way that’s shocking.

From Los Angeles Times

We went through four different contact lens and colors, but we wanted the one that would allow people in more.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• glass