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refractive

Serving or having power to refract, or turn from a direct course; pertaining to refraction; as, refractive surfaces; refractive powers. Refractive index.

(Science: medicine) The ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence to the sine of the angle of refraction for a ray passing out of one of the media into the other.

Origin: Cf. F. Refractif. See Refract.