| optical activity | |
| —n | |
| the ability of substances that are optical isomers to rotate the plane of polarization of a transmitted beam of plane-polarized light | |
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
optical activity n.
The property of an asymmetrical molecule in solution to rotate the plane of polarized light either clockwise or counterclockwise.