refrangible

[ri-fran-juh-buhl]

adjective

1. capable of being refracted, as rays of light.

refrangible

/ rɪˈfrændʒɪbəl /

adjective

1. capable of being refracted

Other Word Forms

• refrangibleness noun
• refrangibility noun
• unrefrangible adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of refrangible¹

First recorded in 1665–75; re- + frangible

Word History and Origins

Origin of refrangible¹

C17: from Latin refringere to break up, from _re- + frangere to break

Example Sentences

This is necessary, because the focus of the least refrangible or red rays is longer than that of the more refrangible or blue rays.

Read more on Project Gutenberg

Refrangible, rē-fran′ji-bl, adj. that may be refracted, or turned out of a direct course, as rays of light, heat, &c.—ns.

Read more on Project Gutenberg

Herschel showed that rays less refrangible than the red were to be found among the solar radiation; and other rays more refrangible than the violet, but, like the ultra-red rays, incapable of exciting vision, were found by Ritter and Wollaston.

Read more on Project Gutenberg

Since the minimum deviation is least for the least refrangible rays, it follows that the red rays will be the least refracted, and the violet the more refracted, and therefore the halo will be coloured red on the inside.

Read more on Project Gutenberg

The violet rays deviate most from their original course; they appear at one of the ends of the spectrum, A B: contiguous to the violet, are the blue rays, being those which have somewhat less refrangibility; then follow, in succession, the green, yellow, orange, and lastly, the red, which are the least refrangible of the coloured rays.

Read more on Project Gutenberg