Word of the Day

: February 8, 2020

lenticular

adjective len-TIK-yuh-ler

What It Means

1 : having the shape of a double-convex lens

2 : of or relating to a lens

3 : provided with or utilizing lenticules

lenticular in Context

Amateur astronomers might be interested in what the observatory markets as the "largest lenticular telescope on Earth."

"This is not the first time Boulder County has been enthralled by a strange cloud formation. In 2017, a spaceship-shaped group of lenticular clouds made its way across the county and onto social media." — Mitchell Byars, The Boulder (Colorado) Daily Camera, 20 June 2019

Did You Know?

"Lentil-shaped"—that's the meaning of Latin lenticularis, the parent of English's lenticular. It's an appropriate predecessor because a double-convex lens is one that is curved on both sides, giving it a shape similar to that of a lentil. English speakers borrowed the Latin term in the 15th century. Lenticularis, in turn, derives from lenticula, which is the source of the English word lentil and a diminutive of the Latin form lent-, lens, meaning "lentil." You probably won't be too surprised to learn that lent-, lens also gave English the word lens.