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definitions

chromatic aberration

noun Optics.

the variation of either the focal length or the magnification of a lens system with different wavelengths of light, characterized by prismatic coloring at the edges of the optical image and color distortion within it.

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Nearby words

  1. chromaffinopathy,
  2. chromakey,
  3. chromat-,
  4. chromate,
  5. chromatic,
  6. chromatic adaptation,
  7. chromatic colour,
  8. chromatic scale,
  9. chromatic sign,
  10. chromatic vision

Origin of chromatic aberration

First recorded in 1825–35
Also called chromatism.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for chromatic aberration

chromatic aberration

noun

a defect in a lens system in which different wavelengths of light are focused at different distances because they are refracted through different angles. It produces a blurred image with coloured fringes
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

Medicine definitions for chromatic aberration

chromatic aberration

n.

Color distortion in an image produced by a lens, caused by the inability of the lens to bring the various colors of light to focus at a single point.chromatism
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for chromatic aberration

chromatic aberration

See under aberration.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.