multifocal
/ˌmʌl.tiˈfəʊ.kəl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌmʌl.tiˈfoʊ.kəl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌməl-ti-ˈfō-kəl/ (ame, mw)
multifocal — adjective
- multifocalpositive
- more multifocalcomparative
- most multifocalsuperlative
1. Of a lens or pair of glasses: made so that the wearer can shift between seeing n
Of a lens or pair of glasses: made so that the wearer can shift between seeing nearby objects and far-away objects through different zones of the same lens.
After turning fifty, Lara switched to multifocal glasses so she could read menus and drive without changing pairs.
attributive: multifocal + glasses for everyday near + far vision
The optician recommended multifocal contact lenses for Kenji, who hated swapping between reading and driving glasses.
collocation: multifocal contact lenses
Abigail found her new multifocal lenses dizzying at first, especially when walking down the stairs at work.
Cataract patients are sometimes offered a multifocal lens implant that lets them focus at several distances after surgery.
- bifocal
older two-zone design (near + far only); multifocal is the broader, modern term covering three or more zones
- varifocal
British English term for the smooth-gradient lens called 'progressive' in American English; a type of multifocal
- progressive
American English term for the smooth-gradient multifocal lens (no visible line between zones)
- single-vision
lens with only one focal distance, corrects for either near or far but not both
文法句型
multifocal + noun (lens, glasses, contact)
用法筆記
Almost always used attributively before a noun in the optical sense (lens, glasses, contact, implant); rarely appears after 'be'.
常見錯誤
2. Of an illness, especially cancer or an infection: showing up at the same time in
Of an illness, especially cancer or an infection: showing up at the same time in two or more separate spots in the body, rather than spreading out from a single point.
The scan showed that Chidi's tumour was multifocal, with three small growths in different parts of the same kidney.
predicative in formal medical reporting: tumour was multifocal
Doctors changed Élise's treatment plan once they realised the breast cancer was multifocal rather than confined to one lump.
contrast pattern: multifocal vs. single-site disease
Multifocal pneumonia is harder to treat because the infection has taken hold in several parts of the lungs at once.
The neurologist explained to Gita's family that the brain scan showed multifocal lesions linked to her multiple sclerosis.
- multicentric
near-synonym in oncology; emphasises that tumours arose independently rather than from one spreading source
- disseminated
implies wider spread through the body via blood or lymph; multifocal stays within one organ or region
文法句型
multifocal + disease noun (cancer, infection, lesion)
用法筆記
Specialist medical register; used in pathology reports, scan results, and clinical conversation. Contrast with 'unifocal' (single spot) and 'diffuse' (spread evenly).