The meaning of nicol prism is a device used for the production or analysis of polarized light consisting of the two parts of a rhombohedron of clear calcite bisected obliquely at a particular angle … The surname nicol was first found in cheshire, where nicholas d'albini, who was of the junior line of the dukes of d'albini in normandy, settled in 1054, and his successor william became baron of malpas. It is derived from the greek name nikolaos, which is composed of the elements nikä meaning victory and laos meaning people. therefore, the name nicol can be interpreted to mean …