prism

prism   (prĭz'əm)    n.   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. 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. A cut-glass object, such as a pendant of a chandelier. A crystal form consisting of three or more similar faces parallel to a single axis. 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.]

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.

prism 

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

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.

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pris·mat'ic (-māt'ĭk) adj.

prism   (prĭz'əm)  Pronunciation Key  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 distributed logic language.
["PRISM: A Parallel Inference System for Problem Solving", S. Kasif et al, Proc 1983 Logic Prog Workshop, pp. 123-152].