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Glite Dictionary
trichroism

trichroism

9.9
A property of some crystals that makes them show three colors from different directions
  • noun
  • /ˈtraɪkroʊɪzəm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : tricroísmo
  • The mineral exhibited striking trichroism, changing from blue to green to yellow depending on the viewing angle.

Examples

  • Scientists use polarized light to study trichroism in tourmaline crystals.

  • Understanding trichroism helps gemologists identify certain gemstones.

  • The mineral exhibits trichroism under polarized light.

  • Did you know that trichroism can be observed in certain gemstones?

  • The mineral exhibited striking trichroism, changing from blue to green to yellow depending on the viewing angle.

  • Scientists use polarized light to study trichroism in tourmaline crystals.

  • Understanding trichroism helps gemologists identify certain gemstones.

Synonyms

pleochroism
vstrichroism
  • Specialized
9.9

Different colors appear in some crystals when you look at them from different directions

specifies exactly three distinct colors rather than a variable number

Surface Forms

trichroism singular
trichroisms plural

Morphology

trichroism = tri + chro + ism

The parts 'tri-' (three) and '-ism' (a property) make the overall meaning partly clear, but 'chro-' is a bound combining form for 'color' (not a standalone English word), so learners may not reliably infer the meaning without knowledge of 'chrom-'/'chroma'.

Etymology

The word trichroism comes from the parts tri- 'three', as in tricycle, and chroma 'color', so it describes a crystal that shows three different 'colors' when you look at it from different sides.