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focus:


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Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
focus/ˈfəʊkəs/
noun (pl. focuses or foci /ˈfəʊsʌɪ/)
  • 1 the centre of interest or activity.

    ■ an act of focusing on something.

  • 2 the state or quality of having or producing clear visual definition.

    ■ another term for focal point. ■the point at which an object must be situated with respect to a lens or mirror for an image of it to be well defined.

  • 3 Geology the point of origin of an earthquake. Compare with epicentre.
  • 4 Medicine the principal site of an infection or other disease.
  • 5 Geometry one of the fixed points from which the distances to any point of an ellipse, parabola, or other curve are connected by a linear relation.
  • 6 Linguistics an element of a sentence that is given prominence by intonational or other means.
verb (focuses, focusing, focused or focusses, focussing, focussed)
  • 1 adapt to the prevailing level of light and become able to see clearly.

    ■ adjust the focus of (a telescope, camera, etc.).

    ■ (of rays or waves) meet at a single point.

    ■ (of light, radio waves, or other energy) become concentrated into a sharp beam of light or energy.

  • 2 (focus on) pay particular attention to.
  • 3 Linguistics place the focus on (a part of a sentence).
– derivatives
focuser noun.
– origin C17: from L., lit. ‘domestic hearth’.



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