refract

Verb

Open English WordNet

Verb (2)refracted, refracting

  1. subject to refraction“refract a light beam”More general subject
  2. determine the refracting power of (a lens)More general determine, find

Related words refractive adjective, refractile adjective, refraction noun

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Webster's Dictionary (1913)

Re·fract′ (r?-fr$kt′), transitive verb [past tense & past participle Refracted; present participle & verbal noun Refracting.]

Origin: L. refractus, p. p. of refringere; pref. re- re- + frangere to break: cf. F. réfracter. SEe FRacture, and cf. Refrain, noun

1. To bend sharply and abruptly back; to break off.

2. To break the natural course of, as rays of light orr heat, when passing from one transparent medium to another of different density; to cause to deviate from a direct course by an action distinct from reflection; as, a dense medium refrcts the rays of light as they pass into it from a rare medium.

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54

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