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birefringence
[ bahy-ri-frin-juhns ]
/ ˌbaɪ rɪˈfrɪn dʒəns /
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noun Optics.
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Origin of birefringence
First recorded in 1885–90; bi-1 + refringence
OTHER WORDS FROM birefringence
bi·re·frin·gent, adjectiveWords nearby birefringence
bird-voiced tree frog, bird walk, bird-watch, bird watcher, birectangular, birefringence, bireme, Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, biretta, Birgitta, biri
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use birefringence in a sentence
The difference between the two indices is a measure of the strength of the double refraction or birefringence.
British Dictionary definitions for birefringence
Derived forms of birefringence
birefringent, adjectiveCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Medical definitions for birefringence
birefringence
[ bī′rĭ-frĭn′jəns ]
n.
The resolution or splitting of a light wave into two unequally reflected waves by an optically anisotropic medium such as calcite or quartz.
Other words from birefringence
bi′re•frin′gent adj.The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Scientific definitions for birefringence
birefringence
[ bī′rĭ-frĭn′jəns ]
The property or capacity of splitting a beam of light into two beams, each refracted at a different angle, and each polarized at a right angle to the other. Certain crystals such as calcite and quartz have this property.
The difference in the index of refraction between two beams passing through a substance that has this property. See also refraction index of refraction.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.