refract

[ri-frakt] /rɪˈfrækt/
verb (used with object)
1.
to subject to refraction.
2.
to determine the refractive condition of (an eye).
Origin
1605-15; < Latin refrāctus, past participle of refringere to break, force back, equivalent to re- re- + frac- (variant stem of frangere to break) + -tus past participle suffix
Related forms
refractable, adjective
refractedly, adverb
refractedness, noun
nonrefracting, adjective
unrefracted, adjective
unrefracting, adjective
Examples from the web for refract
  • Experiment how light, vibration, and magnets refract against it.
  • Besides the globs of paint, there's a prismatic cube that lets you refract lasers.
  • The roof features giant domelike panels to break and refract light into the fourth-floor galleries.
  • There was no one to reflect back a self-image of the explorer or serve as a prism to refract visions of the future.
  • Nor would a prism refract the rays the way a prism would have bent visible light.
British Dictionary definitions for refract

refract

/rɪˈfrækt/
verb (transitive)
1.
to cause to undergo refraction
2.
to measure the refractive capabilities of (the eye, a lens, etc)
Derived Forms
refractable, adjective
Word Origin
C17: from Latin refractus broken up, from refringere, from re- + frangere to break
Word Origin and History for refract
v.

"to bend" (light, sound, heat, etc.), 1610s, back-formation from refraction, and in part from Latin refractus, past participle of refringere. Related: Refracted; refracting.

refract in Medicine

refract re·fract (rĭ-frākt')
v. re·fract·ed, re·fract·ing, re·fracts

  1. To deflect something, especially light, from a straight path by refraction.

  2. To determine the refraction of an eye or a lens.