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Definition of prism - 8 dictionary results
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prism

  [priz-uhm]
Use prism in a Sentence
–noun
1. Optics. a transparent solid body, often having triangular bases, used for dispersing light into a spectrum or for reflecting rays of light.
2. Geometry. a solid having bases or ends that are parallel, congruent polygons and sides that are parallelograms.
3. Crystallography. a form having faces parallel to the vertical axis and intersecting the horizontal axes.
Origin:
1560–70; < LL prīsma < Gk prîsma lit., something sawed, akin to przein to saw, prīstēs sawyer
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Prisms
Right angle, equilateral, corner cube & more. Ready to ship now.
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Optical Components
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www.PhilaOptics.com
prism   (prĭz'əm)   
n.  
  1. A solid figure whose bases or ends have the same size and shape and are parallel to one another, and each of whose sides is a parallelogram.
  2. A transparent body of this form, often of glass and usually with triangular ends, used for separating white light passed through it into a spectrum or for reflecting beams of light.
  3. A cut-glass object, such as a pendant of a chandelier.
  4. A crystal form consisting of three or more similar faces parallel to a single axis.
  5. A medium that misrepresents whatever is seen through it.

[Late Latin prīsma, from Greek prīsma, thing sawed off, prism, from prīzein, to saw, variant of prīein.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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prism [(priz-uhm)]

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.

Note: 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.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Language Translation for : prism
Spanish: prisma,
German: das Prisma,
Japanese: 角柱
More Translations »

prism 
1570, a type of solid figure, from L.L. prisma (Martianus Capella), from Gk. prisma (Euclid), lit. "something sawed," from prizein "to saw." Meaning in optics is first attested 1612.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: prism
Pronunciation: 'priz-&m
Function: noun
1 : a polyhedron with two polygonal faces lying in parallel planes and with the otherfaces parallelograms
2 : a transparent body that is bounded in part by two nonparallel plane faces and is used to refract or disperse a beam of light
3 : acrystal form whose faces are parallel to one axis; especially : one whose faces are parallel to the vertical axis
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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prism (prĭz'əm)
n.

  1. A solid figure whose bases or ends have the same size and shape and are parallel to one another, and each of whose sides is a parallelogram.
  2. A transparent body of this form, often of glass and usually with triangular ends, used for separating white light passed through it into a spectrum or for reflecting beams of light.
  3. Such a body used in testing or correcting imbalance of the extrinsic ocular muscles.
pris·mat'ic (-māt'ĭk) adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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prism   (prĭz'əm)  Pronunciation Key 
  1. A geometric solid whose bases are congruent polygons lying in parallel planes and whose sides are parallelograms.
  2. A solid of this type, often made of glass with triangular ends, used to disperse light and break it up into a spectrum.
  3. A crystal form having 3, 4, 6, 8, or 12 faces parallel to the vertical axis and intersecting the horizontal axis.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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PRISM
A distributed logic language.
["PRISM: A Parallel Inference System for Problem Solving", S. Kasif et al, Proc 1983 Logic Prog Workshop, pp. 123-152].

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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