English word origin

Etymology of lens

Etymology tree substratebor.? Medieval Latin lēnsbor. English lens Borrowed from Latin lēns (“lentil”), with Medieval Latin later taking on the sense of “lens”, a semantic loan from Arabic عَدَسَة (ʕadasa, “lentil; optic

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗

verb

To film, shoot. · To become thinner towards the edges.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionlēnsla · lentil
Semantic-loan mentionعَدَسَةar · lentil; optic lens

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "la-med:lēns<id:lens><ety:from<la:lēns<id:lentil>>:sl<ar:عَدَسَة>>",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nsubstratebor.?\nMedieval Latin lēnsbor.\nEnglish lens\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"lens\", \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"bor.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Borrowed from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"is_uncertain\" : true, \"lang_name\" : \"substrate\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"children\" : [ ], \"lang\" : \"qfa-sub\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Medieval Latin\", \"term\" : \"lēns\", \"lang\" : \"la-med\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"lens\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"lens\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "lēns",
        "t": "lentil"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin lēns (“lentil”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "semantic loan",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ar",
        "3": "عَدَسَة",
        "t": "lentil; optic lens",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "semantic loan from Arabic عَدَسَة (ʕadasa, “lentil; optic lens”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "la-med:lēns<id:lens><ety:from<la:lēns<id:lentil>>:sl<ar:عَدَسَة>>",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nsubstratebor.?\nMedieval Latin lēnsbor.\nEnglish lens"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "lēns",
      "lens#Latin:_lens"
    ],
    [
      "lēns",
      "lens#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "عَدَسَة",
      "عدسة#Arabic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To film, shoot.",
        "To become thinner towards the edges."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "546c686e9fb6592c494e45797a86d8872b1f45977d3910b854a8e0b5e573b5d3",
      "rawRecordSha256": "c3c17850798884dbce99a475fa3a69c18bec62eae0876fef80d2fec79d5b618f",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 4222
    }
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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}

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗

noun

An object, usually made of glass, that focuses or defocuses the light that passes through it. · A device which focuses or defocuses other waves or radiation, such as microwave radiation, electron beams, sound waves (acoustic lenses), or explosions (explosive lenses). · A convex shape bounded by two circular arcs, joined at their endpoints, the corresponding concave shape being a lune. · The transparent crystalline structure in the eye.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionlēnsla · lentil
Semantic-loan mentionعَدَسَةar · lentil; optic lens

This page abbreviates 4 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "la-med:lēns<id:lens><ety:from<la:lēns<id:lentil>>:sl<ar:عَدَسَة>>",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nsubstratebor.?\nMedieval Latin lēnsbor.\nEnglish lens\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"lens\", \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"bor.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Borrowed from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"is_uncertain\" : true, \"lang_name\" : \"substrate\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"children\" : [ ], \"lang\" : \"qfa-sub\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Medieval Latin\", \"term\" : \"lēns\", \"lang\" : \"la-med\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"lens\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"lens\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "lēns",
        "t": "lentil"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin lēns (“lentil”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "semantic loan",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ar",
        "3": "عَدَسَة",
        "t": "lentil; optic lens",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "semantic loan from Arabic عَدَسَة (ʕadasa, “lentil; optic lens”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "la-med:lēns<id:lens><ety:from<la:lēns<id:lentil>>:sl<ar:عَدَسَة>>",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nsubstratebor.?\nMedieval Latin lēnsbor.\nEnglish lens"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "lēns",
      "lens#Latin:_lens"
    ],
    [
      "lēns",
      "lens#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "عَدَسَة",
      "عدسة#Arabic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Bengali",
      "lang_code": "bn",
      "word": "লেন্স",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "lenś"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "lang_code": "tr",
      "word": "lens",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An object, usually made of glass, that focuses or defocuses the light that passes through it.",
        "A device which focuses or defocuses other waves or radiation, such as microwave radiation, electron beams, sound waves (acoustic lenses), or explosions (explosive lenses).",
        "A convex shape bounded by two circular arcs, joined at their endpoints, the corresponding concave shape being a lune.",
        "The transparent crystalline structure in the eye."
      ],
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      "recordId": "5f3f6588141fbe27ceb6361f4793b23d03ccc2de96fd123477366d39a0214676",
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 4,
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for lens →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-bGVucw