birefringence

[ bahy-ri-frin-juhns ]

/ ˌbaɪ rɪˈfrɪn dʒəns /

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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. 2023

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.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 7|Various

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

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.