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refract

[ ri-frakt ]
/ rɪˈfrækt /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR refract ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to subject to refraction.
to determine the refractive condition of (an eye).

RELATED WORDS

swerve, pervert, deform, twist, hook, verge, curl, angle, droop, tilt, yaw, lean, spiral, stoop, warp, circle, flex, crouch, detour, zigzag

Nearby words

  1. reformer,
  2. reforming,
  3. reformism,
  4. reformist,
  5. reformulate,
  6. refractile,
  7. refracting telescope,
  8. refraction,
  9. refractionist,
  10. refractive

Origin of refract

1605–15; < Latin refrāctus, past participle of refringere to break, force back, equivalent to re- re- + frac- (variant stem of frangere to break) + -tus past participle suffix
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for refract

British Dictionary definitions for refract

refract

/ (rɪˈfrækt) /

verb (tr)

to cause to undergo refraction
to measure the refractive capabilities of (the eye, a lens, etc)
Derived Formsrefractable, adjective

Word Origin for refract

C17: from Latin refractus broken up, from refringere, from re- + frangere to break
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 refract

refract

v.

"to bend" (light, sound, heat, etc.), 1610s, back-formation from refraction, and in part from Latin refractus, past participle of refringere. Related: Refracted; refracting.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for refract

refract

[ rĭ-frăkt′ ]

v.

To deflect something, especially light, from a straight path by refraction.
To determine the refraction of an eye or a lens.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.