diffract

[ dih-frakt ]

verb (used with object)

1. to break up or bend by diffraction.

diffract

/ dɪˈfrækt /

verb

1. to undergo or cause to undergo diffraction

   to diffract light

   the light diffracts at a slit

Derived Forms

• difˈfractiveness, noun
• difˈfractively, adverb
• difˈfractive, adjective

Other Words From

• undif·fracted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of diffract¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; back formation from diffraction

Example Sentences

Light passing by these struts gets diffracted, resulting in more spikes, each one perpendicular to the strut itself.

From The Verge

Its intrinsic fluctuations would collide with those of the world like the diffracting ripples made by pebbles thrown in a pond.

From Salon

But these diffract and broaden as they travel, as does light or any other electromagnetic wave.

From Scientific American

By stringing the fiber along a gap in a stretch of wire—a bent paper clip worked marvelously—he hoped to diffract X-rays and obtain images.

From Literature

The first complete structures of proteins were determined, starting in the 1950s, using a technique in which X-ray beams are fired at crystallized proteins and the diffracted light translated into a protein’s atomic coordinates.

From Scientific American