Definition of luminary
luminaries
1 : a person of prominence or brilliant achievement a literary luminary a luminary in the medical profession
2 : a body that gives light; especially : one of the celestial bodies skywatchers … will see one more bright luminary below Orion and Canis Major — Martin Ratcliffe
luminary
adjectiveExplore Merriam-Webster
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Examples of luminary in a Sentence
luminaries of the art world
awed by the vast number of luminaries in the night sky
Recent Examples of luminary from the Web
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Former President Jimmy Carter and entertainer Cher were among the political and musical luminaries who attended the funeral for Southern rock pioneer and Allman Brothers Band vocalist Gregg Allman in Georgia on Saturday.
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For Gay Pride Month, Billboard asked numerous pop culture luminaries to write 'love letters' to the LGBTQ community.
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Allman fronted his band for 45 years, first alongside Duane and then as its sole namesake, after his older brother — a rock history luminary — was killed in a motorcycle accident in November 1971.
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Allman fronted his band for 45 years, first alongside Duane and then as its sole namesake, after his older brother — a rock history luminary — was killed in a motorcycle accident in November 1971.
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On the agenda: visits from old-school gaming luminaries like Q*Bert designer Warren Davis and Activision co-founder David Crane.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'luminary'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
Allow us to shed some light on "luminary." It came to English by way of Anglo-French and Late Latin, and it traces back to the Latin word lumen, meaning "light." Other "lumen" descendants in English include "illuminate" (to light up), "luminous" (emitting light) and "phillumenist" (one who collects matchbooks or matchbox labels). "Luminary" has been shining its light in English since the 15th century.
Origin and Etymology of luminary
Middle English luminarye, from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French luminaire light, luminary, from Late Latin luminaria, plural of luminare lamp, heavenly body, from Latin, window, from lumin-, lumen light; akin to Latin lucēre to shine — more at light
First Known Use: 15th century
LUMINARY Defined for English Language Learners
luminary
playDefinition of luminary for English Language Learners
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: a very famous or successful person
Learn More about luminary
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See words that rhyme with luminary Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for luminary Spanish Central: Translation of luminary Nglish: Translation of luminary for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of luminary for Arabic speakers
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