ultraviolet

[ uhl-truh-vahy-uh-lit ]

adjective
  1. beyond the violet in the spectrum, corresponding to light having wavelengths shorter than 4000 angstrom units.

  2. pertaining to, producing, or utilizing light having such wavelengths: an ultraviolet lamp.

noun
  1. ultraviolet radiation.

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Origin of ultraviolet

1
First recorded in 1870–75; ultra- + violet

Words Nearby ultraviolet

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use ultraviolet in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ultraviolet

ultraviolet

/ (ˌʌltrəˈvaɪəlɪt) /


noun
  1. the part of the electromagnetic spectrum with wavelengths shorter than light but longer than X-rays; in the range 0.4 × 10 –6 and 1 × 10 –8 metres

adjective
  1. of, relating to, or consisting of radiation lying in the ultraviolet: ultraviolet radiation Abbreviation: UV

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for ultraviolet

ultraviolet

[ ŭl′trə-vīə-lĭt ]


Adjective
  1. Relating to electromagnetic radiation having frequencies higher than those of visible light but lower than those of x-rays, approximately 1015-1016 hertz. Some animals, such as bees, are capable of seeing ultraviolet radiation invisible to the human eye. See more at electromagnetic spectrum.

Noun
  1. Ultraviolet light or the ultraviolet part of the spectrum. See Note at infrared.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.