Lens vs Less - What's the difference?
lens | less |
An object, usually made of glass, that focuses or defocuses the light that passes through it.
* {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=July-August, author=
, magazine=(American Scientist), title= A device which focuses or defocuses electron beams.
(geometry) A convex shape bounded by two circular arcs, joined at their endpoints, the corresponding concave shape being a lune.
(biology) A genus of the legume family; its bean.
(anatomy) The transparent crystalline structure in the eye.
* {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=July-August, author=
, title= (by extension, figuratively) A way of looking, literally or figuratively, at something.
* 2004 April 11, Ann Hulbert, "Are the Kids All Right?", in (The New York Times Magazine) , page 11:
To film, shoot.
(geology) To become thinner towards the edges.
To smaller extent.
* {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=May-June, author=
, title= In lower degree.
*
, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=8
, passage=I corralled the judge, and we started off across the fields, in no very mild state of fear of that gentleman's wife, whose vigilance was seldom relaxed. And thus we came by a circuitous route to Mohair, the judge occupied by his own guilty thoughts, and I by others not less disturbing.}}
* {{quote-news, year=2012, date=November 7, author=Matt Bai, title=Winning a Second Term, Obama Will Confront Familiar Headwinds, work=New York Times
, passage=That brief moment after the election four years ago, when many Americans thought Mr. Obama’s election would presage a new, less fractious political era, now seems very much a thing of the past. }}
* 1624 , John Smith, Generall Historie , in Kupperman 1988, p. 141:
A smaller amount (of); not as much.
* {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=May-June, author=
, title= (proscribed) A smaller number of; fewer.
* 1952 , Thomas M Pryor, New York Times , 7 Sep 1952:
* 1999 , (George RR Martin), A Clash of Kings , Bantam 2011, p. 555:
* 2003 , Timandra Harkness, The Guardian , 16 Dec 2003:
Minus; not including
(obsolete) To make less; to lessen.
As a noun lens
is lentil.As an adverb less is
to smaller extent.As an adjective less is
.As a preposition less is
minus; not including.As a verb less is
(obsolete) to make less; to lessen.As a conjunction less is
(obsolete) unless.lens
English
(wikipedia lens)Noun
(es)Catherine Clabby
Focus on Everything, passage=Not long ago, it was difficult to produce photographs of tiny creatures with every part in focus. That’s because the lenses that are excellent at magnifying tiny subjects produce a narrow depth of field.}}
Fenella Saunders, magazine=(American Scientist)
Tiny Lenses See the Big Picture, passage=The single-imaging optic of the mammalian eye offers some distinct visual advantages. Such lenses can take in photons from a wide range of angles, increasing light sensitivity. They also have high spatial resolution, resolving incoming images in minute detail.}}
- If "the public looks at the condition of America's children largely through a negative lens ," worries Child Trends promote child well-being."
Derived terms
* contact lens * fisheye lens * lenticel * lenticular * lenticule * lentil * long lens * long-focus lens * macro lens * normal lens * telephoto lens * wide-angle lens * zoom lensVerb
less
English
Adverb
(-)Katrina G. Claw
Rapid Evolution in Eggs and Sperm, volume=101, issue=3, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=In plants, the ability to recognize self from nonself plays an important role in fertilization, because self-fertilization will result in less diverse offspring than fertilization with pollen from another individual.}}
citation
Antonyms
* moreAdjective
- Those Rattels are somewhat like the chape of a Rapier, but lesse [...].
William E. Conner
An Acoustic Arms Race, volume=101, issue=3, page=206-7, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=Earless ghost swift moths become “invisible” to echolocating bats by forming mating clusters close (less than half a meter) above vegetation and effectively blending into the clutter of echoes that the bat receives from the leaves and stems around them.}}
- This is not a happy situation as far as the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes is concerned because it means less jobs for the union's members here at home.
- No less than four standard-bearers went before them, carrying huge crimson banners emblazoned with the golden lion.
- Although my hosts, G S Aviation, can teach you to fly in Wiltshire, an intensive week at their French airfield means less problems with the weather, cheap but good living, and complete removal from any distractions.
Usage notes
Antonyms
* moreSee also
* fewerPreposition
(English prepositions)- It should then tax all of that as personal income, less the proportion of the car's annual mileage demonstrably clocked up on company business.
Antonyms
* plusVerb
- (Gower)