bioluminescent
Americanadjective
Explanation
Organisms that can create their own light are bioluminescent. Though they're endangered, there are still many places in the world you can see bioluminescent fireflies blinking brightly in the dark. A firefly or lightning bug's illumination is generated in its abdomen, where a chemical reaction produces photons that transmit light. The process varies among the many marine animals, fungi, and bacteria that are bioluminescent. A glowing squid native to the Pacific Ocean gets help from bioluminescent bacteria living inside its body, for example. Bio- means "relating to a living thing," and luminescent derives from the Latin lumen, "light."
Vocabulary lists containing bioluminescent
"Another Place, Another Time," Vocabulary from the short story
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luc, lum, lus (light), List 1
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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.
Some tours go out by night, focusing on bioluminescent plankton.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
The natural phenomenon is caused by bioluminescent plankton, tiny creatures floating in the sea that have the ability to emit light when disturbed by a predator or motion.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
The Photinus carolinus species of firefly has just a few weeks every summer to flash their bioluminescent lights and mate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
"Lanternsharks are bioluminescent, with light produced by photophores located on their belly and flanks, which is where their common name comes from," Dr White said.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2025
“Interesting. It’s difficult to observe if it’s chemiluminescent vertebrate or bioluminescent bacteria.”
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
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.
