What does "retardance" mean?

The difference in phase shift between two characteristic polarizations of light upon reflection from an interface. Retardance can be reported in the Abelès or Mueller conventions. The retardance phase shift angle is often specified in degrees.

What is a synonym for "retardance"?

Common synonyms include: afterthought, bind, block, blockade, delay, detention.

Retardance

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
The difference in phase shift between two characteristic polarizations of light upon reflection from an interface. Retardance can be reported in the Abelès or Mueller conventions. The retardance phase shift angle is often specified in degrees. countable, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms

afterthought bind block blockade delay detention

Etymology

From Middle French retardance.

Related phrases

phase shift

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.