Dictionary.com

diffract

[ dih-frakt ]
/ dɪˈfrækt /
Save This Word!

verb (used with object)

to break up or bend by diffraction.

QUIZZES

THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?

Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.
Question 1 of 8
Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?
The Sunflower State
The Evergreen State
The Magnolia State
The Mockingbird State
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of diffract

First recorded in 1795–1805; back formation from diffraction

OTHER WORDS FROM diffract

un·dif·fract·ed, adjective

Words nearby diffract

diffidence, diffident, diffluence, diffluent, Difflugia, diffract, diffraction, diffraction grating, diffraction halo, diffraction pattern, diffractive
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for diffract

  • 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
See Today's Synonym