prism

noun

1. A polyhedron with parallel ends of the same polygonal shape and size, the other faces being parallelogram-shaped sides.
2. A polyhedron with parallel ends of the same polygonal shape and size, the other faces being parallelogram-shaped sides.
3. A polyhedron with parallel ends of the same polygonal shape and size, the other faces being parallelogram-shaped sides.
4. A polyhedron with parallel ends of the same polygonal shape and size, the other faces being parallelogram-shaped sides.

   “Here, avvful [Isaac] Newton, the diſſolving clouds / Form, fronting on the ſun, thy ſhovvery priſm; / And to the ſage-inſtructed eye unfold / The various tvvine of light, by thee diſclos'd / From the vvhite mingling maze.”

5. (archaic)A polyhedron with parallel ends of the same polygonal shape and size, the other faces being parallelogram-shaped sides.

   “The beams, that thro' the Oriel shine, / Make prisms in every carven glass, […]”

6. (broadly)A retroreflector (“device which reflects light back to its source with minimal scattering”) which is usually attached to a surveying pole as a target for a total station which emits a light beam at the device and calculates how long it takes to be reflected back in order to measure distance.
7. (figuratively)A perspective that colours one's perception.

   “I had surveyed the landscape through the prism of poetry, which tinged every object with the hues of the rainbow.”

   “It is a simple fact that many outside the Abu Dhabi-owned club will always view their triumph through the prism of the charges of 115 financial breaches brought against them by the Premier League, charges they fiercely deny.”