diffract

[ dih-frakt ]
/ dɪˈfrækt /

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

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. 2020

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