fluorescence
Americannoun
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the emission of radiation, especially of visible light, by a substance during exposure to external radiation, as light or x-rays.
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the property possessed by a substance capable of such emission.
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the radiation so produced.
noun
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physics
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the emission of light or other radiation from atoms or molecules that are bombarded by particles, such as electrons, or by radiation from a separate source. The bombarding radiation produces excited atoms, molecules, or ions and these emit photons as they fall back to the ground state
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such an emission of photons that ceases as soon as the bombarding radiation is discontinued
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such an emission of photons for which the average lifetime of the excited atoms and molecules is less than about 10 –8 seconds
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the radiation emitted as a result of fluorescence Compare phosphorescence
Discover More
“Black light” depends on fluorescence for its effects.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fluorescence
1852; fluor(spar) + -escence, on the model of opalescence ( def. ), in reference to the mineral's newly discovered property
Vocabulary lists containing fluorescence
Earth Science - Middle School
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Rocks and Minerals - Introductory
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Physical Science - Energy - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They named one of their key experiments FLOP, or Fluorescence Leaving the Original Point.
From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026
Fluorescence microscopy, another common tool, offers live imaging but at low spatial resolution.
From Science Daily • Dec. 4, 2025
Fluorescence in terrestrial animals is more perplexing, and seems to be rarer.
From New York Times • Sep. 2, 2021
Fluorescence imaging of dissected prostate tumours, the pair of draining lymph nodes, and lung was performed with a Leica M165FC fluorescence stereomicroscope.
From Nature • Mar. 19, 2017
Fluorescence and Constitution.—The physical investigation of the phenomenon named fluorescence—the property of transforming incident light into light of different refrangibility—is treated in the article Fluorescence.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 1 "Châtelet" to "Chicago" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
