Focalises

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Concentrates attention, activity, or resources on a particular point, area, or subject with intensity and purpose
2. Directs focus and effort toward a specific target, topic, or location with concentrated attention
3. Brings into sharp focus or centers emphasis on a particular aspect, place, or objective

Etymology: "Focalises" is the third-person singular present form of "focalise", the British spelling of "focalize", meaning to bring something into focus or to view a story from a particular character's perspective. The verb is built from "focal", which comes from "focus", the Latin word for a hearth or fireplace. Because a hearth was the centre of a household, "focus" came to mean a central point, and in the seventeenth century it was adopted in optics for the point where rays of light converge. The verb itself follows the familiar pattern of turning a noun into an action: "focus" plus the verb-forming ending "-ise" (or "-ize") gives "focalise", so to focalise is to make something the central point of attention. Its narrative sense, describing the vantage point from which a story is told, is a more recent extension borrowed from literary criticism.

Synonyms: focuses, concentrates, centers

Antonyms: disperses, scatters