refract

American  

[ri-frakt] / rɪˈfrækt /

verb (used with object)

1. to subject to refraction.

2. to determine the refractive condition of (an eye).

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refract British  

/ rɪˈfrækt /

verb

1. to cause to undergo refraction

2. to measure the refractive capabilities of (the eye, a lens, etc)

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Other Word Forms

• nonrefracting adjective
• refractable adjective
• refractedly adverb
• refractedness noun
• unrefracted adjective
• unrefracting adjective

Etymology

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

Example Sentences

To work around this, I decided to use a 'star filter' - a layer of glass attached to the front of the lens that refracts light in a specific way.

From BBC

It’s enough to make a reader hanker for a volume devoted to the director’s long working relationship with Head or for a filmography refracted through the actresses he obsessed over and glorified.

From The Wall Street Journal

Every subsequent loss is refracted through that lens.

From BBC

On the opening “Destination,” a winding and refracted character study, swooning strings trace the singer’s own sense of wonder, as she describes a fellow musician whose life serves as a mirror to her own.

From The Wall Street Journal

Their stories reflect and refract the themes of “On the Road” for today.

From Salon