prism

American  

[priz-uhm] / ˈprɪz əm /

noun

• prisms
  plural

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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prism British  

/ ˈprɪzəm /

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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prism Scientific  

/ 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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prism Cultural  

1. 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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Discover More

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.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• prisms
  plural

Etymology

Origin of prism

1560–70; < Late Latin prīsma < Greek prîsma literally, something sawed, akin to prī́zein to saw, prīstēs sawyer

Explanation

In geometry, a prism is a three-dimensional shape that has two bases that are parallel and the same size and shape. The prism's sides are all parallelograms. A classic pup tent is a triangular prism. In optics, a prism is a piece of glass, quartz, plastic, or other material that can be used to refract light. A typical prism is triangular in shape, and when white light (like sunlight) is shown through it, the prism breaks the light into separate colors and displays it as a rainbow (color spectrum). Sir Isaac Newton experimented with prisms in the 1600s, and his work was the beginning of the modern period of both optics and the understanding of light.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prism prisms

Certain that Ingres had used something optical to achieve that quality, Hockney bought himself a camera lucida, a small device that works like a prism.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026

As a child, Olivia Kelly came to understand personal finances through the prism of her mother’s divorce.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 2026

This structure consists of closely spaced parallel strips that interact with light similarly to a prism.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 5, 2026

And yet his career should not be judged through the prism of these failures.

From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026

The prism of lights once again deepened into colors so rich they blotted the clouds.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

And then there are the rectangular prisms jutting out of the floor, standing 20 feet apart from the last, with LED screens blasting clips from the movie into viewers’ subconscious.

From Salon ● Apr. 20, 2026

Images afterward show bags were placed around a few of Golestan’s massive chandeliers to catch any falling crystal prisms.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

"In this power range, the material properties of mirrors, lenses, and prisms significantly limit their use, and such optical elements are easily damaged by strong laser beams in practice," explains Heyl.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 3, 2023

He often examined his subjects through prisms of biography and magazine profiles of those who shaped foreign policies.

From New York Times ● May 8, 2023

Among other things, he studied the nature of light, using prisms and lenses.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin