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fluoresce

American  
[floo-res, flaw-, floh-] / flʊˈrɛs, flɔ-, floʊ- /

verb (used without object)

fluoresced, fluorescing
  1. to exhibit fluorescence.


fluoresce British  
/ ˌflʊəˈrɛs /

verb

  1. (intr) to exhibit fluorescence

"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

Other Word Forms

  • fluorescer noun

Etymology

Origin of fluoresce

First recorded in 1870–75; back formation from fluorescence

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.

GCaMP is a protein that fluoresces when it binds calcium, which is released into cells when they are active.

From Science Daily

As with other live brain imaging systems that rely on "two-photon microscopy," this scanning light "excites" photon emission from brain cells that have been engineered to fluoresce when stimulated.

From Science Daily

A final burst of laser pulses nudges each ion to either fluoresce or not—a flash of binary code that detectors read out as the computation’s solution.

From Science Magazine

X-rays bouncing off cooler gas in the disk causes iron there to fluoresce, producing a specific X-ray peak.

From Science Daily

When they shine a black light on the coral, organic compounds in the coral cause it to fluoresce.

From Science Daily