View synonyms for prism

prism

[ priz-uhm ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Optics. a transparent solid body, often having triangular bases, used for dispersing light into a spectrum or for reflecting rays of light.
Geometry. a solid having bases or ends that are parallel, congruent polygons and sides that are parallelograms.
Crystallography. a form having faces parallel to the vertical axis and intersecting the horizontal axes.

prism

/ ˈprɪzəm /

noun

a transparent polygonal solid, often having triangular ends and rectangular sides, for dispersing light into a spectrum or for reflecting and deviating light. They are used in spectroscopes, binoculars, periscopes, etc
a form of crystal with faces parallel to the vertical axis
maths a polyhedron having parallel, polygonal, and congruent bases and sides that are parallelograms

prism

/ prĭz′əm /

A geometric solid whose bases are congruent polygons lying in parallel planes and whose sides are parallelograms.
A solid of this type, often made of glass with triangular ends, used to disperse light and break it up into a spectrum.
A crystal form having 3, 4, 6, 8, or 12 faces parallel to the vertical axis and intersecting the horizontal axis.

prism

A solid figure in geometry with bases or ends of the same size and shape and sides that have parallel edges. Also, an object that has this shape.

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Notes

A prism of glass (or a similar transparent material) can be used to bend different wavelengths of light by different amounts through refraction . This bending separates a beam of white light into a spectrum of colored light.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of prism¹

1560–70; < Late Latin prīsma < Greek prîsma literally, something sawed, akin to prī́zein to saw, prīstēs sawyer

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Word History and Origins

Origin of prism¹

C16: from Medieval Latin prisma, from Greek: something shaped by sawing, from prizein to saw

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