brightness

[brahyt-nis]

noun

1. the quality of being bright.

2. Optics.,  the luminance of a body, apart from its hue or saturation, that an observer uses to determine the comparative luminance of another body. Pure white has the maximum brightness, and pure black the minimum brightness.

ˈbrightness

/ ˈbraɪtnɪs /

noun

1. the condition of being bright

2. physics a former name for luminosity

3. psychol the experienced intensity of light

Word History and Origins

Origin of brightness¹

before 950; Middle English brihtnes, Old English beorhtnes. See bright, -ness

Example Sentences

Even after standardizing their brightness, the team found that supernovae originating from younger stars tend to look fainter, while those from older stars appear brighter.

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A key example is superradiance, a quantum effect in which atoms emit light in perfect synchronization, creating a brightness far greater than the sum of their individual emissions.

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This first-of-its-kind work combined brain imaging and satellite measurements to outline a biological pathway that may connect nighttime brightness with cardiovascular risk.

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By tying these small brightness changes to specific locations on the planet and analyzing them in multiple colors, scientists can reconstruct temperatures across latitude, longitude, and altitude.

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Because the planet's faint glow is easily lost in the brightness of its host star, researchers applied high-contrast imaging techniques to separate the light of the planet from that of the star.

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Related Words

• brilliance 
• illumination 
• luster