achromatic

[ ak-ruh-mat-ik, ey-kruh- ]
See synonyms for achromatic on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. Optics.

    • free from color.

    • able to emit, transmit, or receive light without separating it into colors.

  2. Biology. (of a cell structure) difficult to stain.

  1. Music. without accidentals or changes in key.

Origin of achromatic

1
First recorded in 1760–70; a-6 + chromatic

Other words from achromatic

  • ach·ro·mat·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words Nearby achromatic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use achromatic in a sentence

  • The construction of achromatic telescopes depends upon this principle.

  • The achromatic lens consists of a double convex lens of crown glass combined with a plano-concave lens of flint glass.

    Physics | Willis Eugene Tower
  • achromatic lenses are used in all high-grade optical instruments such as telescopes and microscopes.

    Physics | Willis Eugene Tower
  • The colored images that are sometimes seen in cheap opera glasses show the result of not using achromatic lenses.

    Physics | Willis Eugene Tower
  • The camera is furnished with either meniscus achromatic or rapid rectilinear lens.

    Kodaks and Kodak Supplies, 1914 | Canadian Kodak Company

British Dictionary definitions for achromatic

achromatic

/ (ˌækrəˈmætɪk) /


adjective
  1. without colour

  2. capable of reflecting or refracting light without chromatic aberration

  1. cytology

    • not staining with standard dyes

    • of or relating to achromatin

  2. music

    • involving no sharps or flats

    • another word for diatonic

  3. denoting a person who is an achromat

Derived forms of achromatic

  • achromatically, adverb
  • achromatism (əˈkrəʊməˌtɪzəm) or achromaticity (əˌkrəʊməˈtɪsɪtɪ), noun

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

Scientific definitions for achromatic

achromatic

[ ăk′rə-mătĭk ]


  1. Designating color perceived to have zero saturation and therefore no hue, such as neutral grays, white, or black.

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