a component in the optical system of a film projector for converting standard 35mm film images into wide-screen format
anamorphic lens in American English
noun Films & Optics
1.
a compound lens or system of lenses that compresses the camera image in the horizontal direction during filming, so that a wide-screen image can fit on the width of conventional 35-mm film
2.
a similar system used in projection that horizontally expands the compressed image back to its original wide-screen aspect ratio
Word origin
[1950–55]This word is first recorded in the period 1950–55. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: International Gothic, conflict of interest, drip-dry, hot line, point spread