lentil and lens : are they related?

In Lesson 14-1 we learned a tissue in our eye called lens. The prefix for describing lens is lent(i)-.

However, there is also a plant, a legume which is named lentils. If we check the scientific name for lentil, you will find is very interesting. The scientific name for lentil is Lens culinaris.

How come a genus of a plant use the tissue of our eyes as its name?

Well, it's very simple. The seeds of lentils look very similar to the lens in our eye and also the lens we use for observing objects.

lentils. Source: wikipedia

Therefore, it is named lentils. It is very common to borrow words here and there to describe new things.