bioluminescence
[bahy-oh-loo-muh-nes-uh ns]
- the production of light by living organisms.
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Origin of bioluminescence
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
bioluminescence
- the production of light by living organisms as a result of the oxidation of a light-producing substance (luciferin) by the enzyme luciferase: occurs in many marine organisms, insects such as the firefly, etc
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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
Word Origin and History for bioluminescent
adj.
also bio-luminescent, 1929; see bioluminescence.
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bioluminescence
n.
also bio-luminescence, 1909; see bio- + luminescence.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
bioluminescence
[bī′ō-lōō′mə-nĕs′əns]
- The emission of light by living organisms, such as fireflies, glowworms, and certain fish, jellyfish, plankton, fungi, and bacteria. It occurs when a pigment (usually luciferin) is oxidized without giving off heat. Although it is believed that bioluminescence is involved in animal communication, its function in many organisms has yet to be understood. Bioluminescence is a form of chemiluminescence. Compare chemiluminescence.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.