luminary

[ loo-muh-ner-ee ]

/ ˈlu məˌnɛr i /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR luminary ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural lu·mi·nar·ies.

a celestial body, as the sun or moon.

a body, object, etc., that gives light.

a person who has attained eminence in his or her field or is an inspiration to others: one of the luminaries in the field of medical science.

adjective

of, relating to, or characterized by light.

Nearby words

Origin of luminary

1400–50; late Middle English luminarye < Medieval Latin lūmināria lamp. See luminaria

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for luminary

There was indeed a luminary in the house, a star of the first magnitude.
Miser Farebrother, Volume I (of 3)|Benjamin Leopold Farjeon
That part of any object which is nearest to the luminary from which it receives the light, will be the lightest.
A Treatise on Painting|Leonardo Da Vinci
Jupiter was worshipped as the sun, by the name of Anxur or Axur, and Brama is identified with that luminary.
Ten Thousand Wonderful Things|Edmund Fillingham King
Whether or not that luminary left his couch when he should, Tom had no means of finding out, for it was still heavily raining.
Camp Venture|George Cary Eggleston

Tony found a boat and we were soon on board the Luminary, where we found the report about her sailing at daylight was true.
Diary of an Enlisted Man|Lawrence Van Alstyne

British Dictionary definitions for luminary

luminary

/ (ˈluːmɪnərɪ) /

noun plural -naries

a person who enlightens or influences others

a famous person

literary something, such as the sun or moon, that gives off light

adjective

of, involving, or characterized by light or enlightenment

Word Origin for luminary

C15: via Old French, from Latin lūmināre lamp, from lūmen light

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 luminary

luminary

mid-15c., "lamp, source of (artificial) light," from Old French luminarie (12c.), "lamp, lights, lighting; candles; brightness, illumination," from Late Latin luminare "light, torch, lamp, heavenly body," literally "that which gives light," from Latin lumen (genitive luminis) "light," related to lucere "to shine" (see light (n.)). Sense of "notable person" is first recorded 1690s, though the Middle English word also had a figurative sense of "source of spiritual light, example of holiness."