diffraction
NounUS[dih-frak-shuhn]/dɪˈfrækʃən/3 syllables
Open English WordNet
Noun (1)
- when light passes sharp edges or goes through narrow slits the rays are deflected and produce fringes of light and dark bandsType of optical phenomenonKinds X-ray diffraction
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Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Dif·frac′tion noun
Origin: Cf. F. diffraction.
Opt. The deflection and decomposition of light in passing by the edges of opaque bodies or through narrow slits, causing the appearance of parallel bands or fringes of prismatic colors, as by the action of a grating of fine lines or bars.
Remarked by Grimaldi (1665), and referred by him to a property of light which he called diffraction.— William Whewell
Diffraction grating. Optics See under Grating. — Diffraction spectrum. Optics See under Spectrum.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54