Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

refract

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.93 in modern English

Syllables
re-fract
IPA
12
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

Of a medium, substance, object, etc.: to deflect the course of (light rays), esp. when they enter the medium, etc., at an oblique angle; to cause refraction of (light, other electromagnetic radiation, or sound or other wave phenomena).

Transitive verb

verb

To mediate; to alter; to distort.

Transitive verb

verb

To cause (light) to change direction as a result of entering a different medium.

Transitive verb

verb

To measure, and often also to correct with lenses, the refractive error of (an eye) or the eyes of (a person).

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Latin refrāctum, neuter form of refrāctus, the past participle of refringō, itself from re- (“again”) + frangō (“to break”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *bʰreg-, refrāctum

Usage

Inflected Forms

refracts (present, singular) refracting (participle, present) refracted (participle, past) refracted (past)

Derived Forms

nonrefracting refractable refracting refractometer refractometric refractometry refractor unrefracting

Phrases

refracting telescope

Frequently Paired Words

refraction refractive refractory refrangible refringent reflect

Rhymes With

fact act contact contract impact exact packed backed attract react abstract interact

Questions

What does refract mean?
Of a medium, substance, object, etc.: to deflect the course of (light rays), esp. when they enter the medium, etc., at an oblique angle; to cause refraction of (light, other electromagnetic radiation, or sound or other wave phenomena).
Where does refract come from?
It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce refract

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “refract”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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