Library / English Dictionary

REFRACTION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The amount by which a propagating wave is bent

Synonyms:

deflection; deflexion; refraction

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Hypernyms ("refraction" is a kind of...):

bend; bending (movement that causes the formation of a curve)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The change in direction of a propagating wave (light or sound) when passing from one medium to another

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Hypernyms ("refraction" is a kind of...):

physical phenomenon (a natural phenomenon involving the physical properties of matter and energy)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "refraction"):

birefringence; double refraction (splitting a ray into two parallel rays polarized perpendicularly)

Derivation:

refract (subject to refraction)

Credits