English

Noun

lense ‎(plural lenses)

1. Misspelling of lens.
   • 1911, Motography, volume 5, issue 6, page 176:

     When a lense is described as of 4 inch focus, it means that such a lens is capable of bringing parallel rays to a point at a distance of 4 inches from the lens.

   • 2015, Steve Rutherford, How to Photograph Landscapes like a Pro (ISBN 0987457608)

     Basically, a beam of light passing through a lens parallel to the optical axis converges to form a focused image on the film. Spherical aberration is the term for an optical fault caused by the spherical form of a lense that produces different […]

2. (proscribed) Alternative spelling of lens

Usage notes

• Lense is accepted as an alternative spelling by Webster's Third New International Dictionary, but proscribed as a misspelling by Garner's Modern American Usage, Paul Brians’ Common Errors in English Usage, Robert Hartwell Fiske's Dictionary of Unendurable English and others.

Old English

Verb

lense

1. to make lean, or to macerate