opalescence

== English == === Etymology === From opal +‎ -escence. === Pronunciation === (General Australian) IPA(key): /ˌəʉpəˈlesəns/ === Noun === opalescence (countable and uncountable, plural opalescences) the state of being opalescent (physics) the milky iridescent appearance of a dense transparent medium when it is illuminated by polychromatic visible radiation (such as sunlight) due to local fluctuations in its density and therefore in its refractive index ==== Derived terms ==== critical opalescence === References === “opalescence”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. == French == === Etymology === From opalescent +‎ -ence. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ɔ.pa.lɛ.sɑ̃s/ ~ /ɔ.pa.le.sɑ̃s/ === Noun === opalescence f (plural opalescences) opalescence === Further reading === “opalescence”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012