refraction

C2+ Topic:Space, Position & Direction

US /rɪˈfrækʃən/ UK /rɪˈfrækʃən/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
the bending of light or other waves as they pass between media

Refraction makes the submerged spoon appear bent at the surface.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the bending of light or... bending deflection deviation

Word family

Derived forms refractional

Related forms refract refractive refractory fracture

Etymology

From Late Latin refractionem ('a breaking up'), from Latin refringere ('to break up'), from re- ('back') + frangere ('to break').

re- Latin refringere Latin frangere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Space, Position & Direction Word Formation & Derivatives

# refraction

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** rɪˈfrækʃən
**IPA (UK):** rɪˈfrækʃən

## Meanings
1. the bending of light or other waves as they pass between media

## Examples
- Refraction makes the submerged spoon appear bent at the surface.

## Synonyms
- bending
- deflection
- deviation

## Derived Forms
- refractional

## Related Forms
- refract
- refractive
- refractory
- fracture

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: re-
- Root: refringere
- Root: frangere

## Etymology
From Late Latin refractionem ('a breaking up'), from Latin refringere ('to break up'), from re- ('back') + frangere ('to break').

## AI Etymology
Refraction comes from Late Latin refractionem ('a breaking up'), from Latin refringere ('to break up'), from re- ('back') + frangere ('to break'). The historical chain includes Latin re-, Latin refringere, and Latin frangere. Older glosses in the chain include "a breaking up", "to break up", "back", and "to break", which help explain the semantic range of the modern word. Morphologically, refraction is best read as compound and borrowing, yielding an English noun shaped by both form history and later usage. In current English it functions as a noun, with the sense "the bending of light or other waves as they pass between media". English derivatives include refractional; related forms include refract, refractive, refractory, and fracture. The result is an English noun whose etymology preserves the older forms while supporting the word's specialized modern meaning.

## Topics
- Space, Position & Direction
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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