FOCAL
What does "FOCAL" mean?
Relating to or situated at a focus; central or pivotal.
Meanings
- Relating to the focus of a lens, mirror, or other optical system. A longer focal length compresses the background in a portrait. technical
- Forming the centre of interest or activity; central. The fireplace is the focal point of the whole room.
Did you know?
- The 'focus' that 'focal' comes from is Latin for fireplace - Johannes Kepler borrowed the word for optics in 1604, picturing converging light rays like heat gathering at a hearth.
Word origin
From Latin 'focus' (hearth, fireplace), used in optics by Kepler for the point where rays converge, plus the adjective suffix '-al'.
Remember it
FOCAL = FOCus + AL; the focal point is where everything FOCuses.
A little poem
Light bends, agrees, and meets
at one unbothered point-
the room arranges round it.
tercet
What it teaches
Every scene has a point where the eye agrees to rest; find it before you arrange the rest.
Quick facts
What does FOCAL mean?
Relating to or situated at a focus; central or pivotal.
Is FOCAL a valid word?
Yes — FOCAL is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is FOCAL?
FOCAL has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does FOCAL come from?
From Latin 'focus' (hearth, fireplace), used in optics by Kepler for the point where rays converge, plus the adjective suffix '-al'.
What can FOCAL teach us?
Every scene has a point where the eye agrees to rest; find it before you arrange the rest.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.