refract
verb /rɪˈfrækt/
/rɪˈfrækt/
(physics)Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they refract | /rɪˈfrækt/ /rɪˈfrækt/ |
| he / she / it refracts | /rɪˈfrækts/ /rɪˈfrækts/ |
| past simple refracted | /rɪˈfræktɪd/ /rɪˈfræktɪd/ |
| past participle refracted | /rɪˈfræktɪd/ /rɪˈfræktɪd/ |
| -ing form refracting | /rɪˈfræktɪŋ/ /rɪˈfræktɪŋ/ |
- refract something (of water, air, glass, etc.) to make waves, such as those of light, sound or energy, change direction when they go through at an angle
- Light is refracted when passed through a prism.
Word Originearly 17th cent.: from Latin refract- ‘broken up’, from the verb refringere, from re- ‘back’ + frangere ‘to break’.