luminiferous

American  

[loo-muh-nif-er-uhs] / ˌlu məˈnɪf ər əs /

adjective

1. producing light.

   the luminiferous properties of a gas.

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Other Word Forms

• unluminiferous
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of luminiferous

1795–1805; < Latin lūmin- ( see lumen) + -i- + -ferous

Example Sentences

At the turn of the 20th century, it was believed that light was propagated through an invisible medium called the luminiferous ether, but scientists could not prove the existence of the ether with data.

From Salon • Dec. 9, 2024

Until the experiment was performed in 1887, scientists believed that light waves propagate through a medium that scientists called the luminiferous aether.

From Scientific American • Jul. 27, 2023

Plotting these luminiferous points on a map, the team was stunned to discover a collection of pulsing magmatic structures — the beating volcanic heart of southern Hawaii.

From Washington Post • Dec. 22, 2022

So scientists had to abandon the concept of the luminiferous ether.

From Time Magazine Archive

It was once thought, in the days before relativity, that light did propagate through a special medium that permeated all of space, called “the luminiferous aether.”

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan