Adjacent Words

Lens definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

LENS, n. plu. lenses. [L. lens, a lentil.] A transparent substance, usually glass, so formed that rays of light passing through it are made to change their direction, and to magnify or diminish objects at a certain distance. Lenses are double-convex, or convex on both sides; double-concave, or concave on both sides; plano-convex, or plano-concave, that is, with one side plane, and the other convex or concave; or convex on one side and concave on the other; the latter is called a meniscus.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a transparent optical device used to converge or diverge transmitted light and to form images [syn: lens, lense, lens system]
2: genus of small erect or climbing herbs with pinnate leaves and small inconspicuous white flowers and small flattened pods: lentils [syn: Lens, genus Lens]
3: (metaphor) a channel through which something can be seen or understood; "the writer is the lens through which history can be seen"
4: biconvex transparent body situated behind the iris in the eye; its role (along with the cornea) is to focuses light on the retina [syn: lens, crystalline lens, lens of the eye]
5: electronic equipment that uses a magnetic or electric field in order to focus a beam of electrons [syn: lens, electron lens]

Merriam Webster's

geographical name city N France SW of Lille population 35,278

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: New Latin lent-, lens, from Latin, lentil; from its shape Date: 1673 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 adjective • lensless adjective II. transitive verb Date: 1942 to make a motion picture of ; film

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a piece of a transparent substance with one or (usu.) both sides curved for concentrating or dispersing light-rays esp. in optical instruments. 2 a combination of lenses used in photography. 3 Anat. = crystalline lens. 4 Physics a device for focusing or otherwise modifying the direction of movement of light, sound, electrons, etc. Derivatives: lensed adj. lensless adj. Etymology: L lens lentis lentil (from the similarity of shape)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Lens Lens (l[e^]nz), n.; pl. Lenses (-[e^]z). [L. lens a lentil. So named from the resemblance in shape of a double convex lens to the seed of a lentil. Cf. Lentil.] (Opt.) A piece of glass, or other transparent substance, ground with two opposite regular surfaces, either both curved, or one curved and the other plane, and commonly used, either singly or combined, in optical instruments, for changing the direction of rays of light, and thus magnifying objects, or otherwise modifying vision. In practice, the curved surfaces are usually spherical, though rarely cylindrical, or of some other figure. Lenses Note: Of spherical lenses, there are six varieties, as shown in section in the figures herewith given: viz., a plano-concave; b double-concave; c plano-convex; d double-convex; e converging concavo-convex, or converging meniscus; f diverging concavo-convex, or diverging meniscus. Crossed lens (Opt.), a double-convex lens with one radius equal to six times the other. Crystalline lens. (Anat.) See Eye. Fresnel lens (Opt.), a compound lens formed by placing around a central convex lens rings of glass so curved as to have the same focus; used, especially in lighthouses, for concentrating light in a particular direction; -- so called from the inventor. Multiplying lens or glass (Opt.), a lens one side of which is plane and the other convex, but made up of a number of plane faces inclined to one another, each of which presents a separate image of the object viewed through it, so that the object is, as it were, multiplied. Polyzonal lens. See Polyzonal.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Humor Hu"mor, n. [OE. humour, OF. humor, umor, F. humeur, L. humor, umor, moisture, fluid, fr. humere, umere, to be moist. See Humid.] [Written also humour.] 1. Moisture, especially, the moisture or fluid of animal bodies, as the chyle, lymph, etc.; as, the humors of the eye, etc. Note: The ancient physicians believed that there were four humors (the blood, phlegm, yellow bile or choler, and black bile or melancholy), on the relative proportion of which the temperament and health depended. 2. (Med.) A vitiated or morbid animal fluid, such as often causes an eruption on the skin. ``A body full of humors.'' --Sir W. Temple. 3. State of mind, whether habitual or temporary (as formerly supposed to depend on the character or combination of the fluids of the body); disposition; temper; mood; as, good humor; ill humor. Examine how your humor is inclined, And which the ruling passion of your mind. --Roscommon. A prince of a pleasant humor. --Bacon. I like not the humor of lying. --Shak. 4. pl. Changing and uncertain states of mind; caprices; freaks; vagaries; whims. Is my friend all perfection, all virtue and discretion? Has he not humors to be endured? --South. 5. That quality of the imagination which gives to ideas an incongruous or fantastic turn, and tends to excite laughter or mirth by ludicrous images or representations; a playful fancy; facetiousness. For thy sake I admit That a Scot may have humor, I'd almost said wit. --Goldsmith. A great deal of excellent humor was expended on the perplexities of mine host. --W. Irving. Aqueous humor, Crystalline humor or lens, Vitreous humor. (Anat.) See Eye. Out of humor, dissatisfied; displeased; in an unpleasant frame of mind. Syn: Wit; satire; pleasantry; temper; disposition; mood; frame; whim; fancy; caprice. See Wit.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(lenses) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. A lens is a thin curved piece of glass or plastic used in things such as cameras, telescopes, and pairs of glasses. You look through a lens in order to make things look larger, smaller, or clearer. ...a camera lens... I packed your sunglasses with the green lenses. N-COUNT 2. In your eye, the lens is the part behind the pupil that focuses light and helps you to see clearly. N-COUNT: usu sing 3. see also contact lens, telephoto lens, wide-angle lens, zoom lens

Moby Thesaurus

baby blues, banjo eyes, bright eyes, clear eyes, cornea, eye, eyeball, eyelid, goggle eyes, iris, lid, naked eye, nictitating membrane, oculus, optic, optic nerve, orb, organ of vision, peeper, popeyes, pupil, retina, saucer eyes, sclera, starry orbs, unaided eye, visual organ