Spanish word

lente

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈlente/

Meaning

  • masculine nounglasses

Example

¿Dónde están mis lentes? Los necesito para leer.

Where are my glasses? I need them to read.

Illustration for lente (glasses)

More examples

Me pongo mis lentes antes de salir.

I put on my glasses before going out.

Core concept

Single curved optical surface or piece of glass or plastic that bends light.

Common phrases

  • ponerse lentes

    put on glasses

  • quitarse lentes

    take off glasses

  • lentes de sol

    sunglasses

  • lente de contacto

    contact lens

Similar words

anteojos: Pair of framed lenses worn on the face to correct poor eyesight.
gafas: Pair of lenses in a frame worn on the face to make vision clearer.

Definition in Spanish

Pieza óptica, normalmente de vidrio o plástico y con superficie curva, que desvía la luz para formar o corregir imágenes; en plural («lentes») en muchos países se emplea para referirse a unas gafas.

Word origin

Spanish lente derives from Latin lens, lentis 'lentil', whose rounded shape inspired the name for the optical piece that refracts light.

Usage tips

  • The singular lente normally means one lens (for a camera or an eyepiece), whereas lentes in everyday speech often means spectacles, and article and number agreement differ accordingly.

Other meanings

  • lensnoun

Related words

  • lentillacontact lensnoun
  • lenticularlenticularadjective

Word lists with this word