lens

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   (metaphor) a channel through which something can be seen or understood

   the writer is the lens through which history can be seen

2. 2
   noun

   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.

3. 3
   noun

   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.

4. 4
   noun

   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."

5. 5
   verb

   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.

6. 6
   noun

   a transparent optical device used to converge or diverge transmitted light and to form images

7. 7
   noun

   electronic equipment that uses a magnetic or electric field in order to focus a beam of electrons

8. 8
   noun

   biconvex transparent body situated behind the iris in the eye

Etymology

Etymology tree Latin lēns Arabic عَدْسَة (ʕadsa)sl. Medieval Latin lēnsbor. English lens Borrowed from Latin lēns (“lentil”), with Medieval Latin later taking on the sense of “lens”, a semantic loan from Arabic عَدْسَة (ʕadsa, “lentil; optic lens”); the similar shape is the common factor.