definitions

spherical aberration

noun

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

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Nearby words

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

Origin of spherical aberration

First recorded in 1865–70
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

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

Medicine definitions for spherical aberration

spherical aberration

n.

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
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for spherical aberration

spherical aberration

[ sfîr′ĭ-kəl ]

See under aberration.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.