Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

diffraction

/dɪˈfɹækʃən/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.05 in modern English

Syllables: dif-frac-tion
IPA: /dɪˈfɹækʃən/

20

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The bending of a wave around an obstacle.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The breaking up of an electromagnetic wave as it passes a geometric structure (e.g. a slit), followed by reconstruction of the wave by interference.

Countable; Uncountable

Etymology

From New Latin diffrāctiō (in which coined by Francesco Maria Grimaldi), from Latin diffrāctus, past participle of Latin diffringo (“to shatter, to break into pieces”). Coined in Physico-mathesis de lumine (1665) by Francesco Maria Grimaldi.

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: *bʰreg-, diffrāctiō, diffrāctus, diffringo

Usage

Inflected Forms

diffractions (plural)

Derived Forms

diffractionist diffractionless microdiffraction nanodiffraction subdiffraction

Phrases

diffraction grating diffraction limit diffraction pattern neutron diffraction transmission electron diffraction X-ray diffraction

Rhymes With

action reaction interaction transaction satisfaction attraction fraction extraction faction distraction traction contraction

Questions

How do you pronounce diffraction?: The recorded pronunciation is /dɪˈfɹækʃən/.
What does diffraction mean?: The bending of a wave around an obstacle.
Where does diffraction come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce diffraction

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Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/dɪˈfɹækʃən/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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