Nearby Words

bifocals

[bahy-foh-kuhl, bahy-foh-] Origin

bi·fo·cal

[bahy-foh-kuhl, bahy-foh-]
adjective
1.
Chiefly Optics. having two foci.
2.
(of an eyeglass or contact lens) having two portions, one for near and one for far vision.
noun
3.
bifocals, bifocal eyeglasses or contact lenses.

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Bifocals is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

Origin:
1885–90, Americanism; bi-1 + focal
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
bifocals (baɪˈfəʊkəlz)
 
pl n
a pair of spectacles with bifocal lenses

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

bifocal
1888, from bi- + focal (see focus).
EXPAND

bifocals
"bifocal spectacles," 1899, see bifocal. Conceived by Benjamin Franklin, but called by him double spectacles.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

bifocal bi·fo·cal (bī-fō'kəl, bī'fō'-)
adj.

  1. Having two focal lengths.

  2. Having one section that corrects for distant vision and another that corrects for near vision.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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