Simple Definition of prism

from our Learner's Dictionary

prism

noun

plural prisms
: a transparent glass or plastic object that usually has three sides and that separates the light that passes through it into different colors
often used figuratively to describe a way of looking at or thinking about something that causes you to see or understand it in a different way
The novel is a history of early 19th-century America told through the prism of one life.

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“Prism.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/prism. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.

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