refract

[ri-frakt]

See more synonyms for refract on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

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

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 formsre·fract·a·ble, adjectivere·fract·ed·ly, adverbre·fract·ed·ness, nounnon·re·fract·ing, adjectiveun·re·fract·ed, adjectiveun·re·fract·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for refracted

Contemporary Examples

The stories are splintered and refracted, the progressions coiled.
‘True Detective,’ Obsessive-Compulsive Noir, and ‘Twin Peaks’
Jimmy So
March 14, 2014
It offers the kind of refracted, wormhole narrative that generates comparisons to David Mitchell—deserved in this case.
Our Favorite Books of 2012: Tina Brown, Andrew Sullivan, and Others’ Picks
The Daily Beast
December 11, 2012
Her encounters with Seán—the supposed love of her life, as she frequently states—are hazy, refracted through money and commodity.
Literary Gold in Hard Times
Chloë Schama
November 4, 2011
And in all that refracted glamour there's an empathetic eye, a sadness that speaks.
Paris' Sad Galliano Expo
Tracy McNicoll
June 21, 2011

Historical Examples

Everything he sees is refracted in the waters of his subjectivity, from which he cannot escape.
The Legacy of Greece
Various
He looked at it, and looked, and saw that it refracted the light.
A Simpleton
Charles Reade
A little warmth came into them and into his cheeks, refracted from her bloom.
The Forsyte Saga, Complete
John Galsworthy
Because the light reflected from the objects at the bottom is refracted as it leaves the water.
The Reason Why
Anonymous
Lights entering a diamond are reflected, refracted and dispersed.
The Wonder Book of Knowledge
Various

British Dictionary definitions for refracted

refract

verb (tr)

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

Derived Formsrefractable, adjective

Word Origin

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 refracted

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.

refracted in Medicine

refract

(rĭ-frăkt′)

To deflect something, especially light, from a straight path by refraction.
To determine the refraction of an eye or a lens.

refract

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Examples from the Web for refracted

Contemporary Examples

The stories are splintered and refracted, the progressions coiled.

It offers the kind of refracted, wormhole narrative that generates comparisons to David Mitchell—deserved in this case.

Her encounters with Seán—the supposed love of her life, as she frequently states—are hazy, refracted through money and commodity.

And in all that refracted glamour there's an empathetic eye, a sadness that speaks.

Historical Examples

Everything he sees is refracted in the waters of his subjectivity, from which he cannot escape.

He looked at it, and looked, and saw that it refracted the light.

A little warmth came into them and into his cheeks, refracted from her bloom.

Because the light reflected from the objects at the bottom is refracted as it leaves the water.

Lights entering a diamond are reflected, refracted and dispersed.

refract

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for refracted

refract

v.

refract

Origin of refract