lens

¹lens

noun \ˈlenz\

Definition of LENS

1

a : a piece of transparent material (as glass) that has two opposite regular surfaces either both curved or one curved and the other plane and that is used either singly or combined in an optical instrument for forming an image by focusing rays of light

b : a combination of two or more simple lenses

c : a piece of glass or plastic used (as in safety goggles or sunglasses) to protect the eye

2

: a device for directing or focusing radiation other than light (as sound waves, radio microwaves, or electrons)

3

: something shaped like a biconvex optical lens <lens of sandstone>

4

: a highly transparent biconvex lens-shaped or nearly spherical body in the eye that focuses light rays (as upon the retina) — see eye illustration

5

: something that facilitates and influences perception, comprehension, or evaluation <viewing the current legal battle … through partisan lenses — New Republic>

6

: gravitational lens

— lensed \ˈlenzd\ adjective

— lens·less \ˈlenz-ləs\ adjective

Examples of LENS

1. Make sure the lens of the microscope is clean.

Origin of LENS

New Latin lent-, lens, from Latin, lentil; from its shape

First Known Use: 1673

Other Physics Terms

amplitude, centrifugal, centripetal, convection, gradient, hysteresis, kinetic, lase, quantum

Rhymes with LENS

cleanse, gens

²lens

transitive verb

Definition of LENS

: to make a motion picture of : film

First Known Use of LENS

1942

Lens

geographical name \ˈläⁿs\

Definition of LENS

city N France SW of Lille pop 36,192

lens

noun    (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of LENS

1

: a curved piece of glass or plastic used singly or combined in eyeglasses or an optical instrument (as a microscope) for forming an image by focusing rays of light

2

: a device for directing or focusing radiation other than light (as sound waves, radio microwaves, or electrons)

3

: a highly transparent biconvex lens-shaped or nearly spherical body in the eye that focuses light rays entering the eye typically onto the retina, lies immediately behind the pupil, is made up of slender curved rod-shaped ectodermal cells in concentric lamellae surrounded by a tenuous mesoblastic capsule, and alters its focal length by becoming more or less spherical in response to the action of the ciliary muscle on a peripheral suspensory ligament

—lensed adjective

—lens·less adjective

Variants of LENS

lens also lense \ˈlenz\

Illustration of LENS

lens

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Piece of glass or other transparent substance that is used to form an image of an object by converging or diverging rays of light from the object. Because of the curvature of its surface, different rays of light are refracted (see refraction) through different angles. A convex lens causes rays to converge on a single point, the focal point. A concave lens causes rays to diverge as though they are coming from a focal point. Both types cause the rays to form a visual image of the object. The image may be real—inverted and photographable or visible on a screen—or it may be virtual—erect and visible only by looking through the lens.