achromatism
Complete color absence
Achromatism is the absence of color, or the property of transmitting light without separating it into its component colors.
In optics, it refers to a lens or system designed to minimize chromatic aberration—the color fringing that occurs when different wavelengths focus at different points: The telescope's achromatism produces sharper images.
The term appears in technical discussions of photography, microscopy, and optical engineering.
Devoid of pigmentation
- grayscaleTonal range, black to white
- monochromeSingle-color rendering
- ashenPale, grayish-white
- pallidUnhealthily lacking color
drab · faded · washed-out · pale · wan · matte · neutral · bleached
Light-focusing curved glass
- prismLight-splitting optical element
- aberrationDeviation from the norm
- dispersionScattering across space
- refractionWave bending between media
correction · wavelength · spectrum · optical · doublet · coating · diffraction · transmission
Impaired hue discrimination
- coneTapered solid, circular base
- rodThin rigid stick
- retinaLight-sensing tissue layer
- photoreceptorCell responding to light
grayscale · monochrome · perception · eyesight · ophthalmology · contrast · luminance · visual
Inherited melanin deficiency
- vitiligoMelanocyte-loss skin condition
- depigmentationLoss of natural coloring
- pallorUnhealthy facial whiteness
- hypomelanosisDecreased pigment in skin
colorless
Devoid of pigmentation
- grayscaleTonal range, black to white
- monochromeSingle-color rendering
- ashenPale, grayish-white
pallid · drab · faded · washed-out · pale · wan · matte · neutral · bleached · desaturated
lens
Light-focusing curved glass
- prismLight-splitting optical element
- aberrationDeviation from the norm
- dispersionScattering across space
refraction · correction · wavelength · spectrum · optical · doublet · coating · diffraction · transmission · focus
colorblindness
Impaired hue discrimination
photoreceptor · grayscale · monochrome · perception · eyesight · ophthalmology · contrast · luminance · visual · tonal
albinism
Inherited melanin deficiency
- vitiligoMelanocyte-loss skin condition
- depigmentationLoss of natural coloring
- pallorUnhealthy facial whiteness
achromatismchromaticism
Use of non-scale tones
colorfulness · vividness · saturation · chromaticity · coloration
- achromatic lensOptic correcting color fringing