释义 |
fo·cus I. \ˈfōkəs\ noun (plural focuses \-ōkəsə̇z\ ; or fo·ci \-ōˌsī\) Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, fireplace, hearth; perhaps akin to Armenian bosor red, bots flame 1. : a point at which rays (as of light, heat, sound) converge or from which they diverge or appear to diverge; specifically : the point where the geometrical lines or their prolongations conforming to the rays diverging from or converging toward another point intersect and give rise to an image after reflection by a mirror or refraction by a lens or optical system 2. a. : focal length < a telescope of twenty-feet focus > b. : adjustment (as of the eye or an eyepiece) for distinct vision < a telescope or microscope comes sharply to focus > c. : the position in which something must be placed (as in relation to a camera lens) for clearness of image or clarity of mental perception < the whole scene was difficult to bring into focus > < brought into immediate focus the meaning of the war > d. : the area that may be seen distinctly by the eye or resolved into a clear image by a lens < wide-focus lens camera > 3. : one of the points that with the corresponding directrix defines a conic section < conic foci > 4. : a localized area of disease or the chief site of a generalized disease or infection < a tuberculous focus in the lungs > 5. [Latin] archaic : hearth, fireplace 6. : a central point: as a. : a center of activity or attraction or one drawing the greatest attention and interest < Whitehall … was the focus of political intrigue and of fashionable gaiety — T.B.Macaulay > b. : a point of concentration or of emanation < a happy man or woman is … a radiating focus of goodwill — R.L.Stevenson > c. : one aspect or area of a culture that is more complex and extensively elaborated than others d. : focal area 7. : the place of origin of an earthquake being a rather indefinite region that approaches nearest to a point in some volcanic earthquakes and nearest to a line or plane in some tectonic earthquakes 8. : the first-formed usually central part of a fish scale 9. : a unit of classification in the Midwestern system for American archaeology constituting a group of components yielding artifacts almost identical in those features determinative of type — see aspect; compare pattern, phase Synonyms: see center • - in focus - out of focus II. verb (focused also focussed ; focused also focussed ; focusing also focussing ; focuses also focusses) transitive verb 1. a. : to bring (as light rays) to a focus : concentrate b. : to cause (an electron beam especially in a television tube) to converge and give a small bright spot 2. : to cause to be concentrated < the crime focused public attention on the problem of parole > 3. : to adjust the focus of (as the eye or a lens) < focusing the glasses on a distant ship > 4. : to bring (as an image) into focus < the most clearly focused picture yet available of the American conservative mind at work — Eric Goldman > intransitive verb 1. : to come to a focus : converge 2. : to adjust one's eye or a camera to a certain range < newborn babies cannot focus for several months > III. intransitive verb : to concentrate attention or effort < she was already focusing on her next role > |