Lens
/lɛnz/
Definitions
2 meaningsA piece of glass or other transparent material, typically with curved sides, for concentrating or dispersing light rays, used singly or in combination in cameras, telescopes, and eyeglasses.
/lɛnz/
A transparent device that refracts light.
The camera uses a powerful lens to capture detailed images.
💡 Simply: Imagine a clear, curved piece of glass that can make things look bigger or smaller, like the ones in glasses, cameras, or telescopes. It bends the light to help us see better!
👶 For kids: A see-through thing that bends light so you can see things better, like in glasses or cameras.
More Examples
He needs to wear glasses because his eye's natural lens isn't working properly.
The scientist examined the specimen through a microscope's lens.
How It's Used
"The telescope uses a large lens to gather light."
"She changed the lens on her camera to capture a wider view."
"He wears contact lenses to correct his vision."
A way of considering something; a viewpoint or perspective.
/lɛnz/
A way of looking at something.
The teacher encourages her students to analyze historical events through different lenses.
💡 Simply: It's like wearing different glasses that change how you see the world. Different lenses show different angles and sides of a problem or subject.
👶 For kids: A way of looking at things, like if you're wearing special glasses that change how things seem.
More Examples
From an environmental lens, the project is highly unsustainable.
We must view the situation through the lens of empathy.
How It's Used
"We can analyze the problem through the lens of social inequality."
"The author uses the lens of historical context to examine the characters' motivations."
"From a business lens, this is not a feasible venture."
Idioms & expressions
through the lens of
Considering something from a particular perspective or viewpoint.
"The historical event can be understood through the lens of economic hardship."
From Middle English *lens*, from Old French *lentille* (a lentil), from Latin *lentem*, accusative of *lens* (lentil). The optical sense developed because of the resemblance in shape.
Historically, lens has been used to describe both the optical device and, figuratively, a way of viewing something, a metaphor that began to solidify in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Memory tip
Think of a magnifying glass – it uses a lens!