iridescence
Use Iridescence in a sentence
ɪˈdɛsBased on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
iridescent (ˌɪrɪˈdɛsənt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| displaying a spectrum of colours that shimmer and change due to interference and scattering as the observer's position changes | |
| [C18: from | |
| iri'descence | |
| —n | |
| iri'descently | |
| —adv | |
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
iridescence
interference of light either at the surface or in the interior of a material that produces a series of colours as the angle of incidence changes. Best known are the colours seen in precious opal resulting from the interference of light by submicroscopic layers of nearly spherical particles 1,500-3,000 angstroms in diameter that are arranged in a regular pattern. Common opal lacks this layering, and scattered light merely gives a milky opalescence. Internal iridescence is due to closely spaced fractures or lamellae such as planes of differing composition caused by exsolution. Most familiar are the colours of labradorite and peristerite resulting from lamellae about 1,000 angstroms thick. Surface iridescence occurs on some ore minerals (e.g., hematite and sphalerite).
Learn more about iridescence with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Cite This Source
