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birefringence

[ bahy-ri-frin-juhns ]
/ ˌbaɪ rɪˈfrɪn dʒəns /

noun Optics.

double refraction.

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Origin of birefringence

First recorded in 1885–90; bi-1 + refringence

OTHER WORDS FROM birefringence

bi·re·frin·gent, adjective

Words 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. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for birefringence

British Dictionary definitions for birefringence

birefringence
/ (ˌbaɪrɪˈfrɪndʒəns) /

noun

another name for double refraction

Derived forms of birefringence

birefringent, adjective
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

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.