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Glite Dictionary
diverging lens

diverging lens

6.5
A lens that makes parallel light rays spread out after passing through it
  • noun
  • /dɪˈvɜrdʒɪŋ lɛnz/
  • Specialized
translation icon : lente divergente
  • When light passes through a diverging lens, the rays spread out instead of coming together.

Examples

  • A diverging lens is commonly used in eyeglasses for people who are nearsighted.

  • A diverging lens can create virtual images.

  • The technician explained how a diverging lens alters the path of incoming light.

  • The diverging lens helps in correcting vision.

  • A diverging lens is used in optical devices to spread out parallel light rays.

  • The teacher demonstrated how a diverging lens makes light rays diverge after passing through it.

  • In cameras, a diverging lens can help in adjusting the focus of the image.

Synonyms

concave lens
vsdiverging lens
  • Specialized
4.6

A lens that is thinner in the middle than at the edges and makes parallel light rays spread out

causes parallel rays to spread out after passing through

Surface Forms

diverging lens singular
diverging lenses plural

Morphology

diverging + lens

The noun phrase is compositionally transparent: the adjective 'diverging' (tending to separate or spread out) directly modifies 'lens', so a learner who knows both words can infer it is a lens that makes rays spread apart. This follows a common adjective+noun pattern and maps clearly onto the physical action of light, so the meaning is predictable rather than idiomatic.

Etymology

The noun diverging lens comes from the image of a lens that makes light rays move apart: diverging means 'moving apart' and lens is a curved piece of glass. So a diverging lens is simply a lens that causes parallel light rays to 'spread out'.