fresnel

[ fruh-nel, French frey-nel ]

/ frəˈnɛl, French freɪˈnɛl /

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noun

a unit of frequency, equal to 1012 cycles per second.

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Origin of fresnel

First recorded in 1935–40; named after Augustin Jean Fresnel

Words nearby fresnel

fresh out of, fresh-run, freshwater, freshwater drum, freshwater pearl, fresnel, Fresnel biprism, Fresnel lens, Fresnel mirrors, Fresno, fress

Other definitions for fresnel (2 of 2)

Fresnel

[ fruh-nel; French frey-nel ]

/ frəˈnɛl; French freɪˈnɛl /

noun

Augustin Jean, 1788–1827, French physicist.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fresnel in a sentence

Fresnel therefore adopted the ingenious device proposed by Condorcet, that of constructing a lens of a number of distinct pieces.
Smeaton and Lighthouses|John Smeaton
But for lenses the burner has seventeen films of flame, and is said to possess six times the power of the Fresnel lamp.
Smeaton and Lighthouses|John Smeaton
At the close of the congress the foreign secretaries placed a crown on the tomb of Fresnel.
The Popular Science Monthly, October, 1900|Various
Now, Fresnel's theory always permits of this, to-day as well as before Maxwell.
The Foundations of Science: Science and Hypothesis, The Value of Science, Science and Method|Henri Poincar

No theory seemed more solid than that of Fresnel which attributed light to motions of the ether.
The Foundations of Science: Science and Hypothesis, The Value of Science, Science and Method|Henri Poincar

British Dictionary definitions for fresnel (1 of 2)

fresnel

/ (ˈfreɪnɛl, French frɛnɛl) /

noun

a unit of frequency equivalent to 10 12 hertz

Word Origin for fresnel

C20: named after Augustin Jean Fresnel (1788–1827), French physicist

British Dictionary definitions for fresnel (2 of 2)

Fresnel

/ (French frɛnɛl) /

noun

Augustin Jean (oɡystɛ̃ ʒɑ̃). 1788–1827, French physicist: worked on the interference of light, contributing to the wave theory of light

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 fresnel

Fresnel

[ frā-nĕl′ ]

Augustin Jean 1788-1827

French physicist whose investigations of the interference, diffraction, and polarization of light helped establish the theory that light moves in a wavelike motion. Fresnel also made great contributions to the field of optics, including the development of a compound lens for use in lighthouses.