To save this word, you'll need to log in.
ax·i·con | \ ˈak-sə-ˌkän 
\
\ plural axicons
Definition of axicon
: an object resembling an optical lens with a conical surface that has no definite focal point
On a trip to Russia, Milchberg discovered that scientists there were using an odd, funnel-shaped “axicon” lens that brought laser beams into an elongated, needle-like focus instead of the sharp point that conventional lenses produce.— Curt Suplee, Washington Post, 11 Sept. 1995
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on axicon
What made you want to look up axicon? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
February 2020 Words of the Day Quiz
- Which is a synonym of probity?
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
Share axicon
Time Traveler for axicon
The first known use of axicon was in 1954
See more words from the same year