lens

noun

(optics) An object, usually made of glass, that focuses or defocuses the light that passes through it.

(anatomy) The transparent crystalline structure in the eye.

A device which focuses or defocuses electron beams.

(by extension, figuratively) A way of looking, literally or figuratively, at something.

(programming) A construct used in statically-typed functional programming languages to access nested data structures.

(earth science) A body of rock, ice, or water shaped like a convex lens.

(biology) A genus of the legume family; its bean.

(geometry) A convex shape bounded by two circular arcs, joined at their endpoints, the corresponding concave shape being a lune.

A municipality in Hainaut, Belgium.

A commune in Pas-de-Calais department, Hauts-de-France, France.

A municipality in Valais canton, Switzerland.

verb

(transitive, cinematography) To film, shoot.

(geology) To become thinner towards the edges.

Roots

lenslens- · Latin · lentil

Synonyms for lens

eyen

Synonyms & related words for lens

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of lens — including eye. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to lens

Explore words related to lens — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include anastigmat, dioptrics, optometer, eyepiece, trifocal, achromat, cameras, telephoto. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for lens

Common synonyms for lens include eye — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does lens come from?

The word lens breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root lens-, from Latin lens (“lentil”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.