Brewster's law

noun

: a statement in optics: when unpolarized light of given wavelength is incident upon the surface of a transparent substance it experiences maximum plane polarization at the angle of incidence whose tangent is the refractive index of the substance for that wave length compare polarizing angle

Word History

Etymology

after Sir David Brewster

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

• More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
• Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
• Advanced search features
• Ad free!