focus
The origin and history of focus.
Etymology
Borrowed directly from Latin focus ("hearth, fireplace"). The astronomer Kepler introduced the scientific sense in the 1600s, using it for the points where light converges in an ellipse — the same idea a fireplace evokes as a gathering point.
Class of 1600
focus first entered the language around 1600. Other words from the same year:
See the full Class of 1600 →