n.
Change in the directions and intensities of a group of waves after passing by an obstacle or through an aperture whose size is approximately the same as the wavelength of the waves.
[New Latin diffrāctiō, diffrāctiōn-, from Latin diffrāctus, past participle of diffringere : dis-, apart; see dis- + frangere, to break.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
