focus

将“focus”分解为“f”+“ocu”+“s”，想象一个放大镜（focusing lens）聚焦（focus）在一点上，形成清晰的图像，这样就能记住“focus”的意思是集中注意力或聚焦。

focus 焦点

来自拉丁语focus, 火炉，引申词义家，集中点。在1604年德国数学家Johannes Kepler用该词来指数学意义上的聚焦。进一步可能来自PIE*bhe, 照明，发光，词源同beacon.

focus

focus: [17] Latin focus meant ‘fireplace’, and in post-classical times it came to be used for ‘fire’ itself – hence French feu, Italian fuoco, Spanish fuego, all meaning ‘fire’, and hence too the English derivatives fuel and fusillade. The first writer known to have used it in its modern sense ‘point of convergence’ was the German astronomer Johannes Kepler, in 1604, but the reason for his choice of word is not clear.

It may have been some metaphorical notion of the ‘hearth’ symbolizing the ‘centre of the home’, but it has also been suggested that it may have been preceded and inspired by the use of focus for the ‘burning point’ of a mirror (not actually recorded until somewhat later). The philosopher Thomas Hobbes appears to have introduced the term into English, in 1656. A medieval Latin derivative of focus was focārius, from which French got foyer ‘hearth, home’, borrowed by English in the 19th century for a public entrance hall or lobby.
=> foyer, fuel, fusillade

focus (n.)

1640s, "point of convergence," from Latin focus "hearth, fireplace" (also, figuratively, "home, family"), which is of unknown origin. Used in post-classical times for "fire" itself; taken by Kepler (1604) in a mathematical sense for "point of convergence," perhaps on analogy of the burning point of a lens (the purely optical sense of the word may have existed before Kepler, but it is not recorded). Introduced into English 1650s by Hobbes. Sense transfer to "center of activity or energy" is first recorded 1796.

focus (v.)

1775 in optics, "bring into focus" (transitive); 1807 in the figurative sense, from focus (n.). Intransitive use by 1864, originally in photography. Related: Focused; focusing; less commonly focussed; focussing.

1. In the background, in soft focus, we see his smiling wife.

在背景部分，我们可以看到他妻子面带微笑的蒙影像。

2. Their talks are expected to focus on arms control.

他们的会谈预计会集中讨论军备控制问题。

3. These issues were brought into sharp focus by the Gulf crisis.

海湾危机让这些问题备受关注。

4. Today he was able to focus his message exclusively on the economy.

今天他得以将主题全部集中在经济方面。

5. They focus on overt discrimination rather than insidious aspects of racism.

他们关注的是公开的歧视，而不是种族主义的一些潜在问题。

【tighten, focus, intensify, fasten】
tighten: 加紧，收紧
focus: 集中
intensify: 加强，强化
fasten: 系紧，扣紧

【stress, emphasize, focus, highlight】
stress: 重读（某音节）
emphasize: 加强…的语气
focus: 使…集中于一点
highlight: 对…予以特别的注意；将（头发）染成浅色使之有光泽

【confinement, confinement, concentrate, restraint, focus, limitation】
这组词都有“限制，局限”的意思，其区别是：
confinement: n.限制，囚禁(于某地或某种境地)。
• The prisoner was sentenced to three months' solitary confinement. 那犯人被判处单独监禁三个月。
confinement: limitation, restraint
concentrate: v.集中，集中精力(后接on，宾语可以是具体或抽象的东西)；浓缩，压缩。
• During exams, students concentrate hard on answering the questions. 考试期间，同学们集中精力回答问题。
restraint: n.克制，抑制；约束措施。
• Even though the mother was very angry, she acted with restraint and didn't yell at her child. 即使母亲很生气，她仍克制自己没有向孩子大吼。
focus: v.集中(于某事物)；将(注意力等)集中于……(后接on，宾语一般不是具体的东西)。
• Please focus your minds on the following problem. 请集中考虑以下问题。
limitation: n.限制，局限；(能力的)缺点，弱点。
• That employee has limitations on what work he can do. 那个雇员能做的工作有限。