lens

[lenz] noun, plural lens·es, verb
noun
1.
a piece of transparent substance, usually glass, having two opposite surfaces either both curved or one curved and one plane, used in an optical device in changing the convergence of light rays, as for magnification, or in correcting defects of vision.
2.
a combination of such pieces.
3.
some analogous device, as for affecting sound waves, electromagnetic radiation, or streams of electrons.
4.
Anatomy, crystalline lens.
5.
Geology. a body of rock or ore that is thick in the middle and thinner toward the edges, similar in shape to a biconvex lens.
verb (used with object)
6.
Movies. to film (a motion picture).
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situated under the tongue, or on the underside of the tongue
the outer and thinner of the two bones of the human leg, extending from the knee to the ankle
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Origin:
1685–95; < Neo-Latin, special use of Latin lēns a lentil (from its shape); see lentil

Related forms
lens·less, adjective
lens·like, adjective
un·lensed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged

Len

[len]
noun
a male given name, form of Leonard.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
lens (lɛnz) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  a piece of glass or other transparent material, used to converge or diverge transmitted light and form optical images
2.  Also called: compound lens a combination of such lenses for forming images or concentrating a beam of light
3.  See electron lens a device that diverges or converges a beam of electromagnetic radiation, sound, or particles
4.  anatomy See crystalline lens
 
Related: lenticular
 
[C17: from Latin lēns lentil, referring to the similarity of a lens to the shape of a lentil]

Lens (lenz, French lɑ̃) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
an industrial town in N France, in the Pas de Calais department; badly damaged in both World Wars. Pop: 36 206 (1999)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

lens
1690s, from L. lens (gen. lentis) "lentil," on analogy of the double-convex shape. See lentil.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

lens (lěnz)
n. pl. lens·es

  1. A ground or molded piece of glass, plastic, or other transparent material with opposite surfaces either or both of which are curved, by means of which light rays are refracted so that they converge or diverge to form an image.

  2. A transparent, biconvex body of the eye between the iris and the vitreous humor that focuses light rays entering through the pupil to form an image on the retina.

lensed adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
lens   (lěnz)  Pronunciation Key 


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  1. A transparent structure behind the iris of the eye that focuses light entering the eye on the retina.

    1. A piece of glass or plastic shaped so as to focus or spread light rays that pass through it, often for the purpose of forming an image.

    2. A combination of two or more such lenses, as in a camera or telescope. Also called compound lens.

  3. A device that causes radiation to converge or diverge by an action analogous to that of an optical lens. The system of electric fields used to focus electron beams in electron microscopes is an example of a lens.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

lens definition


A piece of transparent material, such as glass, that forms an image from the rays of light passing through it. (See focal length, refraction, and telescope.)

lens definition


A clear, almost spherical structure located just behind the pupil of the eye. The lens focuses waves of light on the retina.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

lens

industrial town, Pas-de-Calais departement, Nord-Pas-de-Calais region, northern France, southwest of Lille. It was the chief urban centre of the Pas-de-Calais coal basin. Since the demise of coal mining in the 1980s, a wide range of new industries and services has been developed in Lens. These include companies manufacturing wires and cables, paper, metals, glass, frozen foods, and chemicals, as well as firms specializing in packaging and transport. Lens is also a commercial and administrative centre, and it is the site of a branch of the University of Artois. The town, which was completely destroyed in World War I, was damaged again in World War II. Pop. (1999) town, 36,206; (2004 est.) 35,200

Learn more about Lens with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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