Huygens

or Huy·ghens

[ hahy-guh nz, hoi-; Dutch hoi-gens ]
/ ˈhaɪ gənz, ˈhɔɪ-; Dutch ˈhɔɪ gɛns /

noun

Chris·tian [kris-chuh n; Dutch kris-tee-ahn] /ˈkrɪs tʃən; Dutch ˈkrɪs tiˌɑn/,1629–95, Dutch mathematician, physicist, and astronomer.

Example sentences from the Web for huygens

British Dictionary definitions for huygens

Huygens
/ (ˈhaɪɡənz, Dutch ˈhœixəns) /

noun

Christiaan (ˈkristiːˌaːn). 1629–95, Dutch physicist: first formulated the wave theory of light

Scientific definitions for huygens

Huygens
[ hī′gənz, hoi′gĕns ]
Christiaan 1629-1695

Dutch physicist and astronomer who in 1655 discovered Saturn's rings and its fourth satellite, using a telescope he constructed with his brother. In 1657 he built the first pendulum clock. Huygens also proposed that light consists of transverse waves that vibrate up and down perpendicular to the direction in which the light travels. This theory, which explained some properties of light better than Newton's theory, was made public in 1690.