lentille
/lɑ̃.tij/feminine
The French word for lens is lentille.
The phrase lentille de contact is used to refer specifically to a contact lens.
Meaning: object focusing or defocusing the light passing through it (noun)
Which one should you use?
In French, lentille refers to an optical lens, whereas lentille also means 'lentil' (the legume), depending on context.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of lentille is lentilles.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of lentille is /lɑ̃.tij/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The term lentille comes from the Latin 'lenticula', because early glass lenses were shaped like the seed of a lentil.
- In French, while lentille is the technical term for a lens, the word objectif is more commonly used by photographers to refer to the entire camera lens assembly.
- In a medical context, a French doctor might use the term verre meaning 'glass' instead of lentille when talking about traditional prescription lenses.
Examples in context
- Tom a perdu une lentille de contact.Tom lost a contact lens.This sentence is useful for showing how to say someone lost a contact lens using lentille.Tatoeba #5750421 by Aiji, translation #1093250 by CK
- Elle employa une lentille grossissante.She used a zoom lens.This sentence is useful for describing the use of a zoom lens with lentille.Tatoeba #2339245 by sacredceltic, translation #2337286 by Hybrid
- L'image s'inversait après avoir traversé la lentille.Through the lens the image was inverted.This sentence is useful for explaining how an image is inverted after passing through a lentille.Tatoeba #1486040 by Aiji, translation #29482 by Dejo
- Où se trouvent les objectifs ?Where can I find the lenses?
- Je porte des lentilles de contactI wear contact lenses
- Je porte des lunettes avec des verres correcteursI wear glasses with corrective lenses
- Quel est le prix d'un bon objectif ?What is the price of a good lens?
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Léa are talking about photography equipment.
- NathanQuelle lentille utilises-tu pour cette photo ?Which lens are you using for this photo?
- LéaJ'utilise une lentille grand angle, Nathan.I am using a wide-angle lens, Nathan.
- NathanC'est une très belle lentille.It is a very beautiful lens.
- LéaMerci, elle est parfaite pour les paysages.Thanks, it is perfect for landscapes.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lens” translations and entries lentille, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lentille, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
