lenticular

English

WOTD – 18 June 2010

The Royal Albert Bridge, between Devon and Cornwall, employs two lenticular (adjective sense 2) trusses

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English lenticular, lenticuler, borrowed from Medieval Latin lenticulāris (“lentil-shaped”), from Latin lenticula, from lēns +‎ -cula, ultimately from Latin lēns (“lentil”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /lɛnˈtɪk.jʊ.lə/
• (US) IPA^(key): /lɛnˈtɪk.jə.lɚ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪkjʊlə(ɹ)

Adjective

lenticular (comparative more lenticular, superlative most lenticular)

1. Of or pertaining to a lens.
3. Shaped like a biconvex lens.

   Synonym: lentiform

   • 1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, →ISBN, page 5:

     The sporophyte foot is also characteristic: it is very broad and more or less lenticular or disciform, as broad or broader than the calyptra stalk […]

   • 2023 May 3, Philip Haigh, “The art and science of building bridges”, in RAIL, number 982, page 41:

     The [Royal Albert] bridge itself has approach viaducts on each side, before two 455ft lenticular trusses span the main part of the river, which is 80ft below.

4. Relating to a lenticular image.

   lenticular photography

   • 2015, Kim Timby, 3D and Animated Lenticular Photography: Between Utopia and Entertainment, Walter de Gruyter, →ISBN, page 248:

     But establishment on the fringes of everyday practice doesn't mean lenticular photography is a failure. On the contrary, the process manifests resounding cultural success through its longevity.

5. (botany) Covered in lenticels.

Derived terms

• bilenticular
• capsulolenticular
• circumlenticular
• corneolenticular
• extralenticular
• hepatolenticular
• iridolenticular
• lenticular bracket
• lenticular cloud
• lenticular galaxy
• lenticular image
• lenticularly
• lenticular nucleus
• lenticular printing
• nonlenticular
• perilenticular
• retrolenticular
• semilenticular
• sublenticular
• thalamolenticular

Related terms

• lens
• lensoidal
• lenticel

Translations

of or pertaining to a lens

• Finnish: linssi- (fi)
• French: lenticulaire (fr) f
• German: Linsen- (de)
• Irish: lionsach
• Polish: soczewkowy
• Russian: линзообразный (ru) (linzoobraznyj)
• Spanish: lenticular

shaped like a biconvex lens

• Bulgarian: лещообразен (leštoobrazen)
• Catalan: lenticular
• Finnish: linssimäinen
• French: lenticulaire (fr)
• German: linsenförmig (de)
• Irish: dédhronnach
• Latin: lenticulāris
• Polish: soczewkowaty (pl)
• Russian: двояковыпуклый (ru) (dvojakovypuklyj), чечевицеобразный (ru) (čečeviceobraznyj)
• Spanish: lenticular

relating to a lenticular image

• German: Linsenraster-
• Spanish: lenticular

Noun

lenticular (plural lenticulars)

1. Ellipsis of lenticular image.
2. Ellipsis of lenticular galaxy.

Translations

lenticular image — see lenticular image

lenticular galaxy — see lenticular galaxy

Portuguese

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin lenticulāris.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /lẽ.t͡ʃi.kuˈlaʁ/ [lẽ.t͡ʃi.kuˈlah]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /lẽ.t͡ʃi.kuˈlaʁ/ [lẽ.t͡ʃi.kuˈlah]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /lẽ.t͡ʃi.kuˈlaɾ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /lẽ.t͡ʃi.kuˈlaʁ/ [lẽ.t͡ʃi.kuˈlaχ]
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /lẽ.t͡ʃi.kuˈlaɻ/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /lẽ.ti.kuˈlaɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /lẽ.ti.kuˈlaɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /lẽ.ti.kuˈla.ɾi/

• Hyphenation: len‧ti‧cu‧lar

Adjective

lenticular m or f (plural lenticulares)

1. lenticular

Further reading

• “lenticular”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romanian

Etymology

Etymology tree

Medieval Latin lenticulārislbor.

French lenticulairebor.

Romanian lenticular

Borrowed from French lenticulaire, a learned borrowing from Medieval Latin lenticulāris.

Adjective

lenticular m or n (feminine singular lenticulară, masculine plural lenticulari, feminine/neuter plural lenticulare)

1. lenticular

Declension

Declension of lenticular

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	lenticular		lenticulară	lenticulari	lenticulare
	definite	lenticularul		lenticulara	lenticularii	lenticularele
genitive- dative	indefinite	lenticular		lenticulare	lenticulari	lenticulare
	definite	lenticularului		lenticularei	lenticularilor	lenticularelor

Spanish

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin lenticulāris.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lentikuˈlaɾ/ [lẽn̪.t̪i.kuˈlaɾ]

• Audio (Costa Rica):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: len‧ti‧cu‧lar

Adjective

lenticular m or f (masculine and feminine plural lenticulares)

1. lenticular

Derived terms

• galaxia lenticular

Further reading

• “lenticular”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025