Focus vs. Locus

Focus vs. Locus Focus vs. Locus Focus vs. Locus By Mark Nichol What’s the difference between a focus and a locus is it all just hocus-pocus? and where does nexus fit in? The technical meaning of focus is â€Å"a point of convergence or divergence, or seeming divergence,† in terms of particles of matter. It also refers to adjustment for clear vision as well as the field of clear vision, and it has a geometrical definition of a fixed point. From the scientific sense have developed literal and figurative connotations of a point, center, or area of activity or occurrence, as well as direction, emphasis, perception, and understanding. The original plural spelling of the word, borrowed directly from Latin and meaning â€Å"hearth† (the area of premodern households that was the center of activity), is foci, but focuses is an alternative; the adjectival form is focal. Focus can be employed, depending on context, with or without a preceding article: â€Å"This plan lacks focus†; â€Å"His story doesn’t have a focus†; â€Å"That is the focus of the argument.† A locus, meanwhile (in Latin, the word means â€Å"place†), is a site or location. As is the case with focus, the sense can be figurative or literal. (Unlike focus, locus has only a Latin plural: loci.) The difference between focus and locus, then, is subtle. Both words can refer to a place where something happens, but the fine distinction is that the former denotes a center of attention and the latter refers to the location itself. A locus may become the focus, but the reverse is not true, because the site preceded the attention focused on it. Nexus, from the Latin word nectere, meaning â€Å"to bind† (the root term is also the basis of connect), can also mean â€Å"focus,† but it is better reserved for the senses of â€Å"connection† or â€Å"link,† or of a connected group or series. And what of other related – or seemingly related – terms? An axis is a geometrical or physical or figurative line, or a vertebra or a stem. It can also be somewhat synonymous with the terms defined above, relating to a point or a spectrum, or, as in the manner in which it was used in World War II to refer to the alliance between Germany, Italy, and Japan, a partnership. (The Latin word refers to a line or an axle; the plural in both Latin and English is axes.) A cynosure is a guide or a center of attention. (The word is from Greek by way of Latin and means, literally, â€Å"dog’s tail†; it refers to the constellation Ursa Minor, or the Little Bear.) An omphalos (the word is Greek for â€Å"navel†) is a focal point or a hub, and a hub (perhaps a variant of hob, a word for a shelf on a hearth) is a center of activity, either on a large scale or at the center of a wheel. An epicenter is, in figurative usage, a center of activity; the original meaning is the point on Earth’s surface above an earthquake’s point of focus. Now, how about that hocus-pocus? It evidently originated with itinerant performers who incorporated mock-Latin incantations into their magic or juggling acts to impress gullible onlookers, who associated the classical language with learned scholars and ancient mysteries. It is likely a corruption of the blessing â€Å"Hoc est corpus meum,† meaning â€Å"This is my body.† Hokey-pokey is probably a further variant, but neither it nor hocus-pocus has any focus, locus, or nexus. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:4 Types of Gerunds and Gerund PhrasesWhat is Dative Case?Sentence Adverbs