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A prism is a solid geometric object (especially one made of glass) with sides that are parallelograms and end faces that are parallel and equal in shape and size, or anything that refracts light. (noun)

An example of a prism is a glass object in a specific geometric shape that makes white light to show all the colors of the rainbow.

See prism in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

Geom. a solid figure whose ends are parallel, polygonal, and equal in size and shape, and whose sides are parallelograms
a crystalline body whose lateral faces meet at edges that are parallel to each other
anything that refracts light, as a drop of water
Optics
1. a transparent body, as of glass, whose ends are equal and parallel triangles, and whose three sides are parallelograms: used for refracting or dispersing light, as into the spectrum
2. any similar body of three or more sides

See prism in American Heritage Dictionary 4

(prĭzˈəm)

noun

A solid figure whose bases or ends have the same size and shape and are parallel to one another, and each of whose sides is a parallelogram.
A transparent body of this form, often of glass and usually with triangular ends, used for separating white light passed through it into a spectrum or for reflecting beams of light.
A cut-glass object, such as a pendant of a chandelier.
A crystal form consisting of three or more similar faces parallel to a single axis.
A medium that misrepresents whatever is seen through it.

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