A “wide angle” lens is one where the elements are put together to bend light rays so that the image created encompasses more of the scene. The angle of view is anywhere from a “fisheye” (almost 180 degrees) to roughly 35-40mm (for a full-frame 35mm camera) where the angle of view is around 65-85 degrees. This type of lens will yield an image that shows most of the scene in front of the camera.
Wide angle lenses do several things...