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diffraction

diff·rac·tion

UK/dɪˈfɹækʃən/ US/dɪˈfrækʃʌn/ uncommon

noun

1.

when light passes sharp edges or goes through narrow slits the rays are deflected and produce fringes of light and dark bands

Origin

From New Latin diffrāctiō (in which coined by Francesco Maria Grimaldi), from Latin diffrāctus, past participle of Latin diffringo (“to shatter, to break into pieces”). Coined in Physico-mathesis de lumine (1665) by Francesco Maria Grimaldi.

Phrases

  • diffraction grating
  • diffraction limit
  • diffraction pattern
  • neutron diffraction
  • transmission electron diffraction
  • X-ray diffraction

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.