spherical aberration

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noun

variation in focal length of a lens or mirror from center to edge, due to its spherical shape.

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Origin of spherical aberration

First recorded in 1865–70

Words nearby spherical aberration

spher-, spheral, sphere, sphere of influence, spherical, spherical aberration, spherical angle, spherical astronomy, spherical coordinate, spherical coordinates, spherical excess

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use spherical aberration in a sentence

Objects more massive than a certain amount are more spherical than not, while punier specimens are lumpy and irregular.
Saturn’s Death Star Look-Alike|Matthew R. Francis|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Civil War was clearly an aberration in American society and of profound significance.
The Man Who Made America: Simone Winchester Talks New Book|Eric Herschthal|October 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In fact, the very notion of restraint has become an aberration.
The 1 Percent Army: Andrew Bacevich on How America Lost the Military|Phil Klay|September 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
His actions may have been an aberration but his thinking, sadly, is not.
How To Take Purim Seriously|Shaul Magid|February 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST

But as the report pointed out time and time again, that dark era of violence in America was not some aberration.
Sorry, But Don’t Expect Any Change After Newtown|Buzz Bissinger|December 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
When it is new, and also when in its waning stages it is visible in the daytime, the spherical form is very apparent.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
We may note that in a few months of heavy weather the stones of such a fall have all been reduced to rudely spherical forms.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
These bits are commonly distinctly faceted; they rarely have a spherical form.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
Upon these spherical aggregations of the clouds the winds act in extremely varied ways.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
He was crouching, the spherical plastic object in his right hand, his thumb over the button, when the field collapsed.
Hunter Patrol|Henry Beam Piper and John J. McGuire

British Dictionary definitions for spherical aberration

spherical aberration

noun

physics a defect of optical systems that arises when light striking a mirror or lens near its edge is focused at different points on the axis to the light striking near the centre. The effect occurs when the mirror or lens has spherical surfacesSee also aberration (def. 4)

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

Medical definitions for spherical aberration

spherical aberration

A blurred image that occurs when light from the margin of a lens or mirror with a spherical surface comes to a shorter focus than light from the central portion.dioptric aberration

Scientific definitions for spherical aberration

spherical aberration

[ sfîr′ĭ-kəl ]

See under aberration.