illuminant
Americannoun
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
- nonilluminant noun
- unilluminant adjective
Etymology
Origin of illuminant
1635–45; < Latin illūminant- (stem of illūmināns ) present participle of illūmināre to light up, brighten, equivalent to illūmin- ( illumine ) + -ant- -ant
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.
A fixture even more than a star, either way an illuminant.
From New York Times • Jan. 29, 2021
Kerosene was the dominant illuminant fuel for a few decades between the decline of whale oil and the rise of electricity.
From Forbes • Oct. 21, 2011
A lamp was banged into the roof of my carriage, half an inch of orange flame, poised in a large glass globe, like a gold-fish, and of about as much use as an illuminant.
From Further Experiences of an Irish R.M. by Ross, Martin
When petroleum began to be used as an illuminant it is impossible to say.
From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Agricola, Georgius
The street cars moving in the English coast cities must, of course, be lighted and the streets must have some illuminant; but the railroad carriages, hotels, and private houses must draw their curtains.
From The Audacious War by Barron, Clarence W. (Clarence Walker)
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.
