Origin of the words "lens" and "lense"

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

Being taught to spell it "lens", (no extra "e") I've always been bugged by people spelling the word with the extra "e" on the end - as in "lense".

I'm a bit of an old school stickler for correct spelling, so being typical me I've just looked up the word "lens" in numerous sources around the globe - including British, Australian and American dictionaries just to make sure.

It seems that both can be... well... right, at least to some degree. According to some dictionaries both instances are correct. Far more spelling it without the extra "e" I noticed though. It doesn't seem to be related to which side of the world the dictionary comes from either, as you might expect. Blew me away I must say.

While I was looking for these definitions I also came across the following:

[Origin: 1685–95; < NL, special use of L léns a lentil (from its shape); see lentil]

So the term "lens" (or "lense" if you must) comes from the convex shape of the humble lentil bean.

How cool!

[GTB_an_Owl (Geoff)]

hoo wooda thort - hu

geoff

[Ric]

That's very interesting Chris, I never thought that it would have come from the shape of the lentil bean, It does make sense when you think of it.

I always find it interesting how words are thought of and borne out of others.

A sideline thought, does that mean refractors give you gas?

[dugnsuz (Doug)]

Yeah Chris,
I always assumed "lense" was a mistake.
You live and learn.
Doug

[Glenhuon (Bill)]

A sideline thought, does that mean refractors give you gas?

Nope, but have had problems with a couple that gave me the S****

Bill

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

I alternate with the spelling.
One week I spell it with the E, the next week without it.
That way I'm right at least half the time.

[thomasz]

That's so good, i wait for your next comparison.

[MrB (Simon)]

Cool Chris, I never thought of checking it.

Reminds me of a lecturer I had years ago in an advanced soldering course (electronics). He was American and pronounced solder as sod-er, used to get us students laughing 'till one day he asked what the problem was. We politely explained that we Aussies pronounce it sol-der.
That night I checked a couple of non-U.S. dictionaries and, well, both are acceptable pronunciations! I was shocked.
I apologised to the lecturer the next day, he was as surprised as I that the two were acceptable.
I figured it must have been a french word so the 'l' is silent.

Just checked the Online Etymology Dictionary: solder http://www.etymonline.com/graphics/dictionary.gifc.1350, sawd, from O.Fr. soldure, from solder "to join with solder," from L. solidare "to make solid," from solidus "solid" (see solid). Modern form is from c.1420. The -l- is still pronounced in Great Britain. The noun is first attested 1374.

From Wikipedia:
The word solder comes from the Middle English word soudur, via Old French solduree and soulder, from the Latin solidare, meaning '‘to make solid’'. In North America "solder" is pronounced with a silent L.

[erick (Eric)]

Can one shorten it - "OK, sod that joint"?

[Roger Davis]

Try: RETICLE and RETICULE both are correct, but reticle is in more common usage. However, graticule is graticule and not graticle, but it means the same as reticle.. Oh and reticle comes from the latin reticulus to net, so we have a form of gladiator the Reticulatus who fought with a net and spear.