Standard Lemma guide

birefringence

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /baɪɹɪˈfɹɪnd͡ʒəns/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The splitting of a ray of light into two parallel rays of perpendicular polarization by passage through an optically anisotropic medium; the property of a material that light passing through it is so split.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics

Examples

  • 2012, Luís A. Fernandes, Birefringence and Bragg grating control in femtosecond laser written optical circuits, Departamento de Física e Astronomia da Universidade do Porto, page 112, Heat accumulation in borosilicate glass [23] has [been] shown to produce lower birefringence due to radial stress regions as opposed to the more asymmetric stress produced in fused silica [136, 137]; however, these features remain unexplored in most glasses.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: birefraction, birefractivity, double refraction

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

splitting a ray into two parallel rays polarized perpendicularly

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: double refraction

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: refraction

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh1 Proto-Indo-European *dwi- Proto-Italic *dwi- Latin bi-bor. English bi- English refringence English birefringence From bi- + refringence.

Across languages

Translations

7 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: biréfringence — the splitting of a ray of light into two parallel rays of perpendicular polarization
  • German: Birefringenz — the splitting of a ray of light into two parallel rays of perpendicular polarization
  • Indonesian: dwibiasan — the splitting of a ray of light into two parallel rays of perpendicular polarization
  • Korean: 복굴절 (bokguljeol) — the splitting of a ray of light into two parallel rays of perpendicular polarization
  • Russian: двулучепреломле́ние (dvulučeprelomlénije) — the splitting of a ray of light into two parallel rays of perpendicular polarization
  • Russian: двойно́е лучепреломле́ние (dvojnóje lučeprelomlénije) — the splitting of a ray of light into two parallel rays of perpendicular polarization
  • Vietnamese: lưỡng chiết — the splitting of a ray of light into two parallel rays of perpendicular polarization