# birefringence

> English word · Noun · IPA /baɪɹɪˈfɹɪnd͡ʒəns/

## Definitions
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.

## Etymology
From bi- + refringence.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/birefringence