half-wave plate

US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(haf′wāv′, häf′-)


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
half′-wave plate′  (haf′wāv′, häf′-),USA pronunciation [Optics.]
  1. Opticsa crystal thin enough to cause a phase difference of 180° between the ordinary and extraordinary rays of polarized light, thereby changing the direction of the plane of polarization. Cf. quarter-wave plate. 
  • 1900–05

'half-wave plate' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
quarter-wave plate

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