Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Of or relating to dioptrics.
- adjective Relating to optical refraction; refractive.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Affording a medium for the sight; assisting vision in the view of distant objects.
- Pertaining to dioptrics, or the science of refracted light.
- noun A unit of refractive power of a lens (or inverse focal length), equal to unity divided by a meter.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Of or pertaining to dioptrics; assisting vision by means of the refraction of light; refractive
- adjective (Geom.) a Cartesian oval. See under
Cartesian . - adjective (Optics) Of or pertaining to the dioptre, or to the metric system of numbering glasses.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective obsolete Pertaining to a
diopter . - adjective Acting as a medium for sight; making use of refraction (of lenses, etc.).
- adjective obsolete Capable of being seen through.
- noun in the plural The branch of
optics concerned withrefraction . - noun A dioptric
telescope .
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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In a first-class 'dioptric' apparatus the light emanates from a lamp with several concentric wicks, the flame of which, being kindled by a very active draught, attains to great intensity.
Fragments of science, V. 1-2 John Tyndall 1856
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It is true that the dioptric apparatus was perfected independently by Fresnel, who had also the satisfaction of being the first to put it into operation.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 "Brescia" to "Bulgaria" Various
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It is the most powerful oil light in the world, the flash being over 145,000 candle power emitted from a pair of dioptric lenses mounted on a mercury float revolving once every ten seconds.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 1082, September 26, 1896 Various
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The light is of the 4th order dioptric, showing a red arc of 270° to seaward, and a white arc of 90°, visible inside the breakwater and to the southward towards Alligator Creek.
Report on the Department of Ports and Harbours for the Year 1890-91 Australia. Queensland. Department of Ports and Harbours
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After being fitted with two new 5th order dioptric lights -- which, being exhibited from the same lantern, show a powerful fixed light -- she was towed up in July to relieve the Channel Rock lightship, which had been thirteen years at her moorings.
Report on the Department of Ports and Harbours for the Year 1890-91 Australia. Queensland. Department of Ports and Harbours
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But it is indisputable that Brewster was earlier in the field than Fresnel; that he described the dioptric apparatus in 1812; that he pressed its adoption on those in authority at least as early as 1820, two years before Fresnel suggested it; and that it was finally introduced into
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 "Brescia" to "Bulgaria" Various
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The present lighthouse is 30 feet higher than Smeaton's, and is fitted with the modern system of dioptric refractors, giving a light of
Yorkshire Gordon Home 1923
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But Sir Isaac has shown that dioptric telescopes cannot be brought to a greater perfection, because of that refraction, and of that very refrangibility, which at the same time that they bring objects nearer to us, scatter too much the elementary rays.
Letter XVI-On Sir Isaac Newton’s Optics Voltaire 1909
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In fishes and reptiles, as Owen has remarked, the range of gradations of dioptric structures is very great.
VI. Difficulties of the Theory. Organs of Extreme Perfection and Complication 1909
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Since then, several more dioptric lights have been sent to the same region, and also to
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