trifocal
trifocal Lexical Profile
trifocal Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Having three distinct focal lengths or optical powers, especially of an eyeglass lens designed to correct vision at near, intermediate, and far distances.
"The optometrist recommended trifocal lenses so the architect could easily read blueprints, view a computer monitor, and look across the studio."
• noun
An eyeglass lens having three sections of different focal lengths to correct for near, intermediate, and distant vision, or (in the plural) a pair of eyeglasses fitted with such lenses.
"It took my grandfather a few weeks to adjust to wearing his new trifocals while driving."
• Rhymes for trifocal
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the early 19th century by combining the prefix 'tri-' (from Latin 'tres', meaning 'three') with 'focal', modeled after 'bifocal'. The concept of a three-part corrective lens was patented in 1827 by British inventor John Isaac Hawkins to provide intermediate vision between near and distant focal lengths.