ˈprizəm noun
( -s )
Etymology: Late Latin prisma, from Greek, anything sawn, prism, from priein to saw pristēs saw; akin to Greek pristis sawfish and perhaps to Albanian priš to break, spoil
1.
a. : a polyhedron having two faces that are polygons in parallel planes while the other faces are parallelograms — see volume table
b. : something shaped like such a solid figure ; specifically : the volume of water in a stream in motion considered as a prism of chosen length in conjunction with the cross section of the channel
2.
a. : a transparent body bounded in part by two plane faces that are not parallel used to deviate or disperse a beam of light
b. : an electric or magnetic field similarly used for a beam of electrons
c. : something that refracts light or produces an effect suggestive of a spectrum ; specifically : a more or less prism-shaped decorative glass luster (as for a chandelier)
3.
a. : a crystal form whose faces are parallel to one axis ; specifically : one whose faces are parallel to the vertical axis — compare dome
b. : a crystal form whose number of faces is three or more and whose intersection edges are all parallel