Eikonal
/ˈaɪ.kə.nəl/noun
A function or equation used in geometrical optics and wave theory to describe the phase of a wavefront.
Did you know?Eikonal was coined in modern scientific usage from Greek eikōn, meaning “image” or “likeness,” and it survives in physics as the equation that tracks the invisible shape of a wavefront.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
eikōn (εἰκών)
“image, likeness, portrait”
Late Greek / Byzantine
Greek
eikōnikos
“pertaining to images or representation”
19th Century
German
Eikonal
“the wavefront function in optics”
19th–20th Century
English
eikonal
“a function or equation describing wavefront phase in geometrical optics”
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