Catacaustic

The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
  • In geometry, belonging to caustic curves formed by reflection.
  • noun. In optics, a caustic curve formed by the reflection of the rays of light: so called to distinguish it from the diacaustic, which is formed by refracted rays. See caustic, n., 3.
  • the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
  • adjective. Relating to, or having the properties of, a caustic curve formed by reflection. See caustic, a.
  • noun. A caustic curve formed by reflection of light.
  • Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
  • noun. a caustic curve formed by light reflecting from a curved surface
  • noun. the envelope of all rays that emanate from a specified point (the radiant point) and reflect from a given curve; the evolute of the orthotomic
  • Word Usage
    "You know the ordinary nephroid as the reflected catacaustic of a circle, the involute of Caley’s sextic, and a generally good-natured two-cusped epicycloid."
    variant
    caustic