trichroismn.
/ˈtrʌɪkrəʊɪz(ə)m/, U.S. /ˈtraɪˌkrəˌwɪzəm/ The property of being trichroic: spec.
a. Crystallography: see trichroic adj.
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the world > matter > colour > variegation > [noun] > three colours
trichroism1847
trichromatism1895
1847 Webster's Amer. Dict. Eng. Lang. (citing Dana).
1860 R. G. Mayne Expos. Lexicon Med. Sci.
1865–8 H. Watts Dict. Chem. III. 670 Some biaxial crystals exhibit trichroïsm; thus certain Brazilian topazes of a yellowish rose tint in the direction of the median line, are violet when viewed along the complementary line, and yellowish white perpendicular to the plane of the axes.
1881 S. P. Thompson in Nature 15 Sept. 465/2 Crystals in which the electric conductivity differs in three different directions will exhibit trichroism.
b. Natural History. The occurrence of three different colorations in three varieties of a species, as in certain birds and insects.
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1899 D. Sharp in Cambr. Nat. Hist. VI. vi. 351 H[eliconius] erato exhibits the very rare condition of trichroism, the hind wings being either red, blue, or green.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1914; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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