prism.
A polyhedron with parallel ends of the same polygonal shape and size, the other faces being parallelogram-shaped sides.
Meaning & usage
A polyhedron with parallel ends of the same polygonal shape and size, the other faces being parallelogram-shaped sides. An object having the shape of a geometrical prism (sense 1).
A polyhedron with parallel ends of the same polygonal shape and size, the other faces being parallelogram-shaped sides. A cutting (“open passage at a level lower than the surrounding terrain, dug for a canal, railway, or road to go through”) or an embankment shaped like a prism (sense 1) or a number of prisms, such that its volume can be easily calculated.
A polyhedron with parallel ends of the same polygonal shape and size, the other faces being parallelogram-shaped sides. A crystal in which the faces are parallel to the vertical axis.
A polyhedron with parallel ends of the same polygonal shape and size, the other faces being parallelogram-shaped sides. A transparent block in the shape of a prism (sense 1), typically with triangular ends, used to reflect or refract light.
A polyhedron with parallel ends of the same polygonal shape and size, the other faces being parallelogram-shaped sides. A transparent block in the shape of a prism (sense 1), typically with triangular ends, used to reflect or refract light. A spectrum produced by light being refracted through a prism.
A retroreflector (“device which reflects light back to its source with minimal scattering”) which is usually attached to a surveying pole as a target for a total station which emits a light beam at the device and calculates how long it takes to be reflected back in order to measure distance.
A perspective that colours one's perception.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Ancient Greek πρῑ́ω (prī́ō) Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥ Proto-Hellenic *-mə Ancient Greek -μᾰ (-mă) Ancient Greek πρίσμᾰ (prísmă)bor. Late Latin prismalbor. English prism Learned borrowing from Late Latin prisma (“(geometry) prism”), from Ancient Greek πρίσμᾰ (prísmă, “anything sawn; sawdust; (Koine, geometry) prism”), from πρῐ́ζω (prĭ́zō) (a variant of πρῑ́ω (prī́ō, “to saw”), further etymology unknown) + -μᾰ (-mă, suffix forming neuter nouns denoting the effect or result of an action, etc.).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.