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Definition of refract verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

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/
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  1. 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.
    Topics Physics and chemistryc2
    Word Originearly 17th cent.: from Latin refract- ‘broken up’, from the verb refringere, from re- ‘back’ + frangere ‘to break’.
See refract in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee refract in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
halfway
adverb
 
 
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