luminiferous

adjective

lu·​mi·​nif·​er·​ous ˌlü-mə-ˈni-f(ə-)rəs How to pronounce luminiferous (audio)
: transmitting, producing, or yielding light

Examples of luminiferous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The name comes from the luminiferous ether that was at one point thought to be the medium through which electromagnetic waves propagate, like sound waves propagate through air. Iljitsch Van Beijnum, Ars Technica, 29 June 2023 The Lonely Cosmos As the luminiferous era slowly unwinds, the universe itself will change character. Popular Mechanics, 7 Mar. 2023 It's related to the classic Michaelson-Morley experiment attempting to detect the movement of the Earth through a medium called the luminiferous aether, which physicists at the time believed permeated space. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 21 Sep. 2022 Plotting these luminiferous points on a map, the team was stunned to discover a collection of pulsing magmatic structures - the beating volcanic heart of southern Hawaii. Robin George Andrews, Anchorage Daily News, 23 Dec. 2022 Scientists were thrilled: This meant that the different kinds of waves didn’t need their own aethers, but all traveled through the same luminiferous aether. Meg Neal, Popular Mechanics, 19 Oct. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'luminiferous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1801, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of luminiferous was in 1801

Dictionary Entries Near luminiferous

Cite this Entry

“Luminiferous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/luminiferous. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

luminiferous

adjective
lu·​mi·​nif·​er·​ous ˌlü-mə-ˈnif-(ə-)rəs How to pronounce luminiferous (audio)
: transmitting, producing, or yielding light
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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