diffract

[ dih-frakt ]

/ dɪˈfrækt /

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verb (used with object)

to break up or bend by diffraction.

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Origin of diffract

First recorded in 1795–1805; back formation from diffraction

OTHER WORDS FROM diffract

un·dif·fract·ed, adjective

Words nearby diffract

diffident, diffidently, diffluence, diffluent, Difflugia, diffract, diffraction, diffraction grating, diffraction pattern, diffractive, diffractometer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use diffract in a sentence

Its cuticle is so ruled with fine lines as to diffract the light and flash on moving much as a fire opal.
The Nature of Animal Light|E. Newton Harvey

British Dictionary definitions for diffract

diffract

/ (dɪˈfrækt) /

verb

to undergo or cause to undergo diffractionto diffract light; the light diffracts at a slit

Derived forms of diffract

diffractive, adjectivediffractively, adverbdiffractiveness, noun

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