incandescence

American  

[in-kuhn-des-uhns] / ˌɪn kənˈdɛs əns /

noun

1. the emission of visible light by a body, caused by its high temperature.

2. the light produced by such an emission.

3. the quality of being incandescent.

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incandescence British  

/ ˌɪnkænˈdɛsəns /

noun

1. the emission of light by a body as a consequence of raising its temperature Compare luminescence

2. the light produced by raising the temperature of a body

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incandescence Scientific  

/ ĭn′kən-dĕs′əns /

1. The emission of visible light from a substance or object as a result of heating it to a high temperature. The color of the light emitted from solids and liquids is a function of their chemical structure and their temperature; the higher the temperature, the more intense and even the distribution of frequencies is (that is, higher temperatures create brighter and whiter light than lower temperatures).

2. Compare fluorescence See also blackbody radiation

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Other Word Forms

• nonincandescence noun

Etymology

Origin of incandescence

First recorded in 1650–60; incandesc(ent) + -ence

Explanation

Incandescence is the light from heat. A fireplace adds a warm incandescence to a house in the winter. The glow of a fire is known as incandescence. If you see a shooting star, the bright light is due to incandescence. When you have a good idea, a cartoon light bulb goes on over your head – incandescence can refer to that kind of lighting up, too, like a brilliant idea that sheds light on something. If someone has a thousand-watt smile, that’s incandescence. Any time something lights up from heat, physically or emotionally, it produces incandescence.

Example Sentences

This profile from Alexis Bloom and Svetlana Zill is a bid to reclaim the valuable heat of Pallenberg’s incandescence, while never shielding viewers from her life’s lasting burn marks.

From Los Angeles Times • May 10, 2024

These fragments themselves pancaked, creating a series of brief but powerful flashes of light as they heated to incandescence.

From Scientific American • Feb. 15, 2023

“Spots of incandescence may remain near the vent, along channels, and at the flow front for days or weeks as the lava flows cool,” the observatory’s activity summary said.

From Washington Times • Dec. 13, 2022

It is a revelation, from the incandescence of her Toccata from Widor’s Fifth Symphony to the jazzy angularity of Jean Berveiller’s “Mouvement”; the reverence of her Bach chorale preludes to the fury of her Liszt.

From New York Times • Nov. 2, 2021

And in the incandescence of the pearl the pictures formed of the things Kino’s mind had considered in the past and had given up as impossible.

From "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck

Related Words

• beam
• blaze
• burst
• flame
• flare
• glare
• gleam
• glimmer
• glint
• glitter
• glow
• radiation
• ray
• reflection
• spark
• sparkle
• vision