biprism

American

[bahy-priz-uhm] / ˈbaɪˌprɪz əm /

noun

Optics.

a triangular prism with an apex angle slightly less than 180°: when illuminated by a point source of light it produces two overlapping beams that form an interference pattern on a screen.

biprism British

/ ˈbaɪˌprɪzəm /

noun

a prism having a highly obtuse angle to facilitate beam splitting

"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

Etymology

Origin of biprism

First recorded in 1880–85; bi- ¹ + prism

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023