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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 (gcide)

Interference \In`ter*fer"ence\, n. [See {Interfere}.]
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1. The act or state of interfering; as, the stoppage of a
machine by the interference of some of its parts; a
meddlesome interference in the business of others.
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2. (Physics) The mutual influence, under certain conditions,
as from streams of light, or pulsations of sound, or,
generally, two waves or vibrations of any kind, producing
certain characteristic phenomena, as colored fringes, dark
bands, or darkness, in the case of light, silence or
increased intensity in sounds; neutralization or
superposition of waves generally.
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Note: The term is most commonly applied to light, and the
undulatory theory of light affords the proper
explanation of the phenomena which are considered to be
produced by the superposition of waves, and are thus
substantially identical in their origin with the
phenomena of heat, sound, waves of water, and the like.
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3. (Patent Law) The act or state of interfering, or of
claiming a right to the same invention.
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{Interference figures} (Optics), the figures observed when
certain sections of crystallized bodies are viewed in
converging polarized light; thus, a section of a uniaxial
crystal, cut normal to the vertical axis, shows a series
of concentric colored rings with a single black cross; --
so called because produced by the interference of luminous
waves.

{Interference fringe}. (Optics) See {Fringe}.
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