Fresnel lens
- noun
- /frəˈnɛl lɛnz/
- Specialized
:
lente de Fresnel
- The museum features a historical exhibit on the Fresnel lens, explaining its importance in maritime navigation.
- first-order Fresnel lens
- order Fresnel lens
And the Exploratorium sold Fresnel lenses like this one here.
- And the Exploratorium sold Fresnel lenses like this one here.
Examples
-
On top of the tower is the lantern gallery, housing the whale-oil powered Fresnel lens shipped from France, which refracts the lamplight with a thousand pieces of glass.
Fiction book (1999) -
And the Exploratorium sold Fresnel lenses like this one here.
-
A flash extender with a Fresnel lens is helpful for distance shots with a long lens.
Academic text (2006) -
But when a first-order Fresnel lens is still in its original tower, it is a viewing opportunity not to be missed, such as the brilliant prismatic effect of looking up inside the red and clear glass lens at Umpqua River, Oregon (Figure 5).
Academic text (2007) -
The lighthouse uses a powerful Fresnel lens to ensure its beam can be seen from miles away.
-
As he adjusted the settings, the projector displayed a clear image, thanks to the Fresnel lens inside.
Synonyms
175
2.5
A clear curved piece of glass or plastic that focuses light
A thin lens with rings that focuses light for long distances
A curved piece of clear glass or plastic that focuses light in cameras and microscopes
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is transparent because the phrase is a type-denoting compound where 'Fresnel' names a specific design (concentric-ring focusing) and 'lens' is a device that focuses light; the combined meaning is directly the lens of that design. A B1 learner who knows the constituents (that 'Fresnel' refers to the concentric-ring lens design and what a 'lens' is) can readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Fresnel lens is named after the French scientist Augustin-Jean Fresnel, who made a lens from many thin, flat rings instead of one thick piece of glass. Those rings let the lens be much thinner while still 'focusing' light a long way, so the name now means this special, lightweight lens used in lighthouses and projectors.