lens

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A curved piece of glass or plastic that focuses light, used in cameras, glasses, and microscopes.

   She fitted a wide-angle lens to her camera.

2. 2
   noun

   The clear part inside the eye that focuses light to form images.

   As we age, the lens of the eye becomes less flexible.

3. 3
   noun

   A particular way of looking at or understanding something.

   He views the past through the lens of his own experience.

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.

Topics