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catacaustic

American

[kat-uh-kaw-stik] / ˌkæt əˈkɔ stɪk /

adjective

noting a caustic surface or curve formed by the reflection of light.

noun

a catacaustic surface or curve.

catacaustic British

/ ˌkætəˈkɔːstɪk, -ˈkɒs- /

adjective

(of a caustic curve or surface) formed by reflected light rays Compare diacaustic

"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

noun

a catacaustic curve or surface

"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

Etymology

Origin of catacaustic

First recorded in 1700–10; cata- + caustic

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

catacaustic

In optics, the term caustic is given to the envelope of luminous rays after reflection or refraction; in the first case the envelope is termed a catacaustic, in the second a diacaustic.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 5 "Cat" to "Celt" by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023