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prism

[priz-uh m]
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noun
  1. Optics. a transparent solid body, often having triangular bases, used for dispersing light into a spectrum or for reflecting rays of light.
  2. Geometry. a solid having bases or ends that are parallel, congruent polygons and sides that are parallelograms.
  3. Crystallography. a form having faces parallel to the vertical axis and intersecting the horizontal axes.
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Origin of prism

1560–70; < Late Latin prīsma < Greek prîsma literally, something sawed, akin to prī́zein to saw, prīstēs sawyer
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for prism

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Simba continued to stare, and Kingozi had lifted his prism glasses.

    The Leopard Woman

    Stewart Edward White

  • What colors of the prism are shown most in sunset or sunrise?

    Classic Myths

    Mary Catherine Judd

  • Notice a rainbow, when possible, and form one with a prism in the schoolroom.

    Classic Myths

    Mary Catherine Judd

  • Hold a prism in the sunlight by the window and make a "rainbow" on the wall.

    Common Science

    Carleton W. Washburne

  • Now look for a pencil or a piece of chalk through the prism, in the same way.

    Common Science

    Carleton W. Washburne

British Dictionary definitions for prism

prism

noun
  1. a transparent polygonal solid, often having triangular ends and rectangular sides, for dispersing light into a spectrum or for reflecting and deviating light. They are used in spectroscopes, binoculars, periscopes, etc
  2. a form of crystal with faces parallel to the vertical axis
  3. maths a polyhedron having parallel, polygonal, and congruent bases and sides that are parallelograms
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Word Origin

C16: from Medieval Latin prisma, from Greek: something shaped by sawing, from prizein to saw
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

Word Origin and History for prism

n.

1560s, a type of solid figure, from Late Latin prisma, from Greek prisma (Euclid), literally "something sawed," from prizein "to saw" (see prion). Meaning in optics is first attested 1610s.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
prism in Medicine

prism

(prĭz′əm)
n.
  1. A solid figure whose bases or ends have the same size and shape and are parallel to one another, and each of whose sides is a parallelogram.
  2. A transparent body of this form, often of glass and usually with triangular ends, used for separating white light passed through it into a spectrum or for reflecting beams of light.
  3. Such a body used in testing or correcting imbalance of the extrinsic ocular muscles.
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Related formspris•mat′ic (-măt′ĭk) adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
prism in Science

prism

[prĭz′əm]
  1. A geometric solid whose bases are congruent polygons lying in parallel planes and whose sides are parallelograms.
  2. A solid of this type, often made of glass with triangular ends, used to disperse light and break it up into a spectrum.
  3. A crystal form having 3, 4, 6, 8, or 12 faces parallel to the vertical axis and intersecting the horizontal axis.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
prism in Culture

prism

[(priz-uhm)]

A solid figure in geometry with bases or ends of the same size and shape and sides that have parallel edges. Also, an object that has this shape.

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Note

A prism of glass (or a similar transparent material) can be used to bend different wavelengths of light by different amounts through refraction. This bending separates a beam of white light into a spectrum of colored light.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.