polariscope

American  

[poh-lar-uh-skohp, puh-] / poʊˈlær əˌskoʊp, pə- /

noun

Optics.

1. an instrument for measuring or exhibiting the polarization of light or for examining substances in polarized light, often to determine stress and strain in glass and other substances.

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polariscope British  

/ pəʊˈlærɪˌskəʊp /

noun

1. an instrument for detecting polarized light or for observing objects under polarized light, esp for detecting strain in transparent materials See photoelasticity

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Other Word Forms

• polariscopic
  adjective
• polariscopically
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of polariscope

1820–30; < Medieval Latin polāri ( s ) polar + -scope

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

polariscope

Patient work with chemicals and a polariscope discovered the three new kinds of fruit sugar in the remaining 5%.

From Time Magazine Archive

On looking at the sun in the polariscope, the image, as before observed, is seen to be purely white—a proof that the medium through which the luminous substance is made visible to us is gaseous.

From Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 441 Volume 17, New Series, June 12, 1852 by Robert Chambers

The polariscope, directed towards this region, showed an internal polarisation, but, when pointed to the side where the mist still prevailed, there was no polarisation.

From Wonderful Balloon Ascents by F. (Fulgence) Marion

Spec′tro-polar′iscope, a polariscope combined with a spectroscope; Spec′troscope, an instrument for forming and examining spectra of luminous bodies, so as to determine their composition.—adjs.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various

Yet experiments with the polariscope were interpreted in an adverse sense, and Bond's conclusion that the comet sent us virtually unmixed reflected sunshine was generally acquiesced in.

From A Popular History of Astronomy During the Nineteenth Century Fourth Edition by Agnes M. (Agnes Mary) Clerke

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