luminescence

noun lu·mi·nes·cence \ ˌlü-mə-ˈne-sᵊn(t)s \

Updated on: 22 Apr 2018

Definition of luminescence

: the low-temperature emission of light (as by a chemical or physiological process); also : light produced by luminescence

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luminescent

play \ˌlü-mə-ˈne-sᵊnt\ adjective

See luminescence defined for English-language learners

See luminescence defined for kids

Examples of luminescence in a Sentence

the luminescence of the watch
we could see inside the cave even without a flashlight because of the luminescence coming from some of the fungus on the walls

Recent Examples of luminescence from the Web

The age of the sediments around the bones was calculated using optically stimulated luminescence—a technique that reveals the last time rocks and sand were exposed to sunlight.

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "Rare 85,000-year-old Finger May Complicate Our Understanding of African Migration," 10 Apr. 2018
Using a relatively new technique called optically stimulated luminescence, which indicates the last time a grain of sand was exposed to sunlight, researchers were able to show that the two sites were occupied at the time of the eruption.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Ancient Humans Weathered the Toba Supervolcano Just Fine," 14 Mar. 2018
Sevnth brings a certain colorful luminescence to the beat, and Alo is perfectly coy and cool on top of its energy.

— kat bein, Billboard, "The 5 Best Remixes & Covers of Drake's 'God's Plan'," 22 Feb. 2018
At dusk, alpenglow casts El Capitan in an orange luminescence, its towering wall stark and ominous.

— tom stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle, "‘June-uary’ turns Yosemite Valley into private jewel," 4 Feb. 2018
Using luminescence dating, researchers determined that the Levallois tools dated between to 385,000 and 172,000 years ago.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Stone Tool Discovery in India Raises Questions About Spread of Ancient Technology," 2 Feb. 2018
The trick will be to balance the exposure between the luminescence of the blood moon with the surrounding landscape.

— michel fortier, San Antonio Express-News, "Express-News photo editor explains how to photograph the super blue blood moon," 30 Jan. 2018
The mountains and hills are at their prettiest now...the hardwoods, the pines, even the weeds take on a luminescence that will shimmer into summer, till the heat itself makes the landscape fade.

— Southern Living, "The Gift of Loafering," 14 May 2012
Our team used optically stimulated luminescence methods to date the sand grains near the ancient artifacts.

— ben marwick, Slate Magazine, "Here’s How We Made Our Study Reproducible," 20 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'luminescence.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of luminescence

International Scientific Vocabulary lumin- + -escence

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1889

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

luminescence Synonyms

Synonyms

blaze, flare, fluorescence, glare, gleam, glow, illumination, incandescence, light, radiance, shine;

Near Antonyms

blackness, dark, darkness, dimness, dusk, duskiness, gloom, night, shadow;

daylight, moonlight, sunlight, sunshine;

afterglow, aureole (or aureola), aurora, beam, halo, ray, shaft, streak, stream, sunbeam;

glisten, gloss, luster (or lustre), polish, reflection, sheen;

LUMINESCENCE Defined for English Language Learners

luminescence

noun

Definition of luminescence for English Language Learners

: the creation of light by processes that do not involve heat; also : the light created

Medical Dictionary

luminescence

noun lu·mi·nes·cence \ ˌlü-mə-ˈnes-ᵊn(t)s \

medical Definition of luminescence

: the low-temperature emission of light produced especially by physiological processes (as in the firefly), by chemical action, by friction, or by electrical action; also : light produced by luminescence

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