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or through narrow slits, causing the appearance of parallel bands or fringes of prismatic colors, as by the action of a grating of fine lines or bars. Remarked by Grimaldi (1665), and referred by him to a property of light which he called diffraction. Whewell. Diffraction grating. (Optics) See under Grating. -- Diffra…

To diminish the strength, flavor, color, etc., of, by mixing; to reduce, especially by the addition of water; to temper; to attenuate; to weaken. Lest these colors should be diluted and weakened by the mixture of any adventitious light. Sir I. Newton.

-garments. It is of many patterns, both plain and twilled, and occasionally is printed in colors.

A colorless, crystalline hydrocarbon, C20H14, obtained from naphthylene, and consisting of a doubled naphthylene radical.

ntroduced at a very early period. It has a wolflike face, bushy tail, and a reddish brown color.

Soiled; sullied; of a dark or dusky color; dark brown; dirty. "Scraps of dingy paper." Macaulay.

A crystallized variety of pyroxene, of a clear, grayish green color; mussite.

snuff, to take snuff by rubbing it on the gums and teeth. [Southern U. S.] -- To dip the colors (Naut.), to lower the colors and return them to place; -- a form of naval salute.

A polymeric form of pyridine, C10H10N2, obtained as a colorless oil by the action of sodium on pyridine.

Sullied; clouded; -- applied to color. Locke.

llowed by between, in, of, as to, etc.; as, disparity in, or of, years; a disparity as to color. The disparity between God and his intelligent creatures. I. Taylor. The disparity of numbers was not such as ought to cause any uneasiness. Macaulay.

The separation of light into its different colored rays, arising from their different refrangibilities. Dispersion of the optic axes (Crystallog.), the separation of the optic axes in biaxial crystals, due to the fact that the axial angle has different values for the different colors of the spectrum.…

To tinge with a different color from the natural or proper one; to stain; to discolor; to sully; to tarnish; to defile; -- used chiefly in poetry. "Distained with dirt and blood." Spenser. [She] hath . . . distained her honorable blood. Spenser. The worthiness of praise distains his worth. Shak.

To mix (colors) in the way of distemper; as, to distemper colors with size. [R.]

extend in some one direction; to lengthen out; to stretch. [R.] But say, what mean those colored streaks in heaven Distended as the brow of God appeased Milton.

and diverging; widely diverging; as the branches of a tree, or as lines of sculpture, or color markings on animals, etc.

A divergence of lines of color sculpture, or of fibers at different angles.

erous differences or aspects. Separated and diversified on from another. Locke. Its seven colors, that diversify all the face of nature. I. Taylor.

ncy; as, the doctor of a calico- printing machine, which is a knife to remove superfluous coloring matter; the doctor, or auxiliary engine, called also donkey engine.

A small napkin, used at table with the fruit, etc.; -- commonly colored and fringed.