Lens
/lɛnz/noun
A piece of transparent material with curved surfaces that bends light, or the eye's natural light-focusing structure.
Did you know?The optical sense of *lens* was coined in the 17th century because early convex lenses resembled a lentil, making this a rare case where science borrowed a kitchen word and turned it into a vision-word.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*lent-
“to bend, be soft, or pliant”
Latin
Latin
lenticula
“a lentil; literally a small lentil”
Late Latin
Latin
lens, lentis
“lentil”
16th Century
English
lens
“a glass object shaped like a lentil, used to focus light”
Modern English
English
lens
“a transparent optical element that refracts light, or the eye's focusing structure”