Wordul · all words

noun · 2 syllables · /ˈfoʊ.kəs/

FOCUS

What does "FOCUS" mean?

The center of interest or activity, or the state of clear visual or mental concentration.

Meanings

  1. The center of interest, attention, or activity. Climate became the focus of the entire campaign.
  2. The state in which an image is sharply defined. Turn the dial slowly until the stars come into focus.
  3. The point at which rays of light, heat, or sound converge. The lens gathers sunlight at a single burning focus. technical
  4. To concentrate attention or effort on something. Try to focus on one task before opening another tab.
  5. To adjust an instrument or the eye to produce a clear image. She focused the telescope on the rings of Saturn.

Did you know?

  • Focus is Latin for fireplace - Johannes Kepler gave it its mathematical and optical meaning in 1604, naming the spot where light gathers after the spot where a household's warmth once did.

Word origin

From Latin 'focus' meaning 'hearth' or 'fireplace'; Johannes Kepler repurposed it in 1604 for the point where light rays converge.

Remember it

FOCUS: Follow One Course Until Successful - and the Latin root literally means hearth, the one warm spot a home gathers around.

A little poem

The blur holds its breath-
one half-turn of the small wheel
and the world says yes.

haiku

Wordplay

  • My photographer friend left his wife. He just couldn't focus on the relationship - everything in his life was out of frame.

What it teaches

Attention is a lens, not a floodlight: the same energy burns through paper only when it gathers to a point.

Quick facts

What does FOCUS mean?

The center of interest or activity, or the state of clear visual or mental concentration.

Is FOCUS a valid word?

Yes — FOCUS is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.

How many letters is FOCUS?

FOCUS has 5 letters and 2 syllables.

Where does FOCUS come from?

From Latin 'focus' meaning 'hearth' or 'fireplace'; Johannes Kepler repurposed it in 1604 for the point where light rays converge.

What can FOCUS teach us?

Attention is a lens, not a floodlight: the same energy burns through paper only when it gathers to a point.

How players do

Be the first to solve it.

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