visible streaks produced in a transparent medium as a result of variations in the medium's density leading to variations in refractive index. They can be recorded by flash photography (schlieren photography) streaks or platelike masses of mineral in a rock mass, that differ in texture or composition from the main mass
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
schlie•ren
(shlēr′ən),USA pronunciation n. (used with a pl. v.)
- Rocks[Petrog.]streaks or irregularly shaped masses in an igneous rock that differ in texture or composition from the main mass.
- Physicsthe visible streaks in a turbulent, transparent fluid, each streak being a region that has a density and index of refraction differing from that of the greater part of the fluid.
- German, plural of Schliere streak
- 1885–90
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'schlieren' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):