diffract

[ dih-frakt ]

verb (used with object)
  1. to break up or bend by diffraction.

Origin of diffract

1
First recorded in 1795–1805; back formation from diffraction

Other words from diffract

  • un·dif·fract·ed, adjective

Words Nearby diffract

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use diffract in a sentence

  • Its cuticle is so ruled with fine lines as to diffract the light and flash on moving much as a fire opal.

    The Nature of Animal Light | E. Newton Harvey

British Dictionary definitions for diffract

diffract

/ (dɪˈfrækt) /


verb
  1. to undergo or cause to undergo diffraction: to diffract light; the light diffracts at a slit

Derived forms of diffract

  • diffractive, adjective
  • diffractively, adverb
  • diffractiveness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012