Lenticula

Lenticula is a Latin-derived term meaning "small lens" or "small lentil" (from lenticula, diminutive of lens, lentis). It is not a single standardized technical term but appears in related forms across several disciplines to denote lens-shaped or lens-like structures.

In geology and sedimentology, lenticula (or lenticular bodies, lenticules) refer to lens-shaped rock or sediment layers that pinch out laterally. Such features can form during depositional processes where material accumulates in localized pockets or where differential compaction produces discrete, lenticular strata.

In meteorology the root appears in words describing lens-shaped clouds, most notably lenticular clouds (altocumulus lenticularis), which are stationary, lens-shaped clouds often formed by orographic wave motion. Although "lenticula" itself is uncommon in modern meteorological jargon, the morphology implied by the term is central to these phenomena.

In materials science and imaging, the related term lenticule denotes a small cylindrical or lens element used in lenticular printing and 3D display technologies; these arrays of micro-lenses create depth, motion, or flip effects by directing different images to each eye or view angle.

In botany the similar-sounding lenticel describes porous, corky structures on stems and bark involved in gas exchange; while etymologically related, lenticels are distinct from the lens-shaped usages above.

The term's usage is therefore largely descriptive, employed where lens-like form or function is a defining characteristic. Variants include lenticule, lenticular, and the plural lenticulae.