Explanation please

Just been doing my nightly Ebay trawl and looking at some lenses. Keep coming across the word "bokeh" in reference to the lens performance, as in "nice bokeh". I thought it was just wine that had a "nice bokeh" ?

Can someone explain this word to me please?

It is a Japanese word which came into common use in the West a couple of years ago.
It refers to the way in which the lens renders the out-of-focus parts of the image, particularly the highlights.
Pentax people tend to consider that many Pentax lenses exhibit especially good bokeh.
It is something that can't be measured objectively, so if your favourite lens appears to do badly in tests for resolution you can fall back on the phrase: "But it's got wonderful bokeh!" to justify your apparently irrational opinion.

Hi,
I asked the same question when I arrived on this board. A very good explanation is here http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/bokeh.htm

Regards
Kim

Thanks guys, that's really cleared things up. Now I know what I'm looking for: pronounced Gaussian blur circle distribution, to complement and enhance my bokeh.

Still none the wiser, but I've learnt a new word!