Meanings
present singular third person diffracts · participle present diffracting · participle past diffracted · past diffracted
- transitiveTo cause diffraction
Dave frowned as he tried to answer. "Well, I suppose the atmosphere is oxygen and nitrogen, mostly; then there's the ionosphere and the ozone layer. As I remember, the color of the sky is due to the scattering of light—light rays being diffracted in the air."
1963, Lester del Rey, The Sky Is Falling - intransitiveTo undergo diffraction
Origin
- Latindiffractus“past participle of <i class="Latn mention" lang="la">diffringo</i> (“to shatter, to break into pieces”)”
- Englishdiffract
From Latin diffractus (“past participle of diffringo (“to shatter, to break into pieces”)”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian разлагам, пречупвам
- разлагам (razlagam)transitive
- пречупвам (prečupvam)transitive
- разлагам се (razlagam se)intransitive
- пречупвам се (prečupvam se)intransitive
Catalan difractar
- difractartransitive
Czech lomit, lomit se
- lomittransitive
- lomit seintransitive
Finnish diffraktoida, taivuttaa
- diffraktoidatransitive
- taivuttaatransitive
- diffraktoituaintransitive
- taipuaintransitive
French diffracter
- diffractertransitive
Italian diffrangere, diffrangersi
- diffrangeretransitive
- diffrangersiintransitive
Māori whakarauraha, whakaroraha
- whakaraurahatransitive
- whakarorahatransitive
- raurahaintransitive
- rorahaintransitive
Norwegian bøye, bøye
- bøyetransitive
- bøyeintransitive
Spanish difractar
- difractartransitive
Welsh diffreithio, diffreithio
- diffreithiotransitive
- diffreithiointransitive
Cite this entry
diffract. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diffract
“diffract.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diffract. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “diffract,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diffract.
Source: diffract on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.