n.
- a piece of glass or other transparent material with one or both sides curved for concentrating or dispersing light rays.
▸Anatomy the transparent elastic structure behind the iris by which light is focused on to the retina of the eye.
▸short for contact lens.
- the light-gathering device of a camera, containing a group of compound lenses.
- Physics an object or device which focuses or otherwise modifies a beam of radiation, sound, electrons, etc.
Derivative
- lensed adj.
- lensless adj.
Etymology
C17: from L., ‘lentil’ (because of the similarity in shape).