luminosity

[ loo-muh-nos-i-tee ]

/ ˌlu məˈnɒs ɪ ti /

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See synonyms for luminosity on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural lu·mi·nos·i·ties.

the quality of being intellectually brilliant, enlightened, inspired, etc.: The luminosity of his poetry is unequaled.

something luminous.

Astronomy. the brightness of a star in comparison with that of the sun: the luminosity of Sirius expressed as 23 indicates an intrinsic brightness 23 times as great as that of the sun.

Also called luminosity factor. Optics. the brightness of a light source of a certain wavelength as it appears to the eye, measured as the ratio of luminous flux to radiant flux at that wavelength.

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Origin of luminosity

1625–35; <Latin lūminōs(us) luminous + -ity

OTHER WORDS FROM luminosity

non·lu·mi·nos·i·ty, nounself-lu·mi·nos·i·ty, noun

Words nearby luminosity

luminescence, luminescent, luminiferous, luminism, luminophore, luminosity, luminosity class, luminous, luminous efficacy, luminous efficiency, luminous emittance

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use luminosity in a sentence

In a cathedral, I can get a feeling of luminosity out of the numinous.
The Spiritual Consciousness of Christof Koch - Issue 107: The Edge|Steve Paulson|October 13, 2021|Nautilus
Maybe—maybe—some people might have seen a fluorescent luminosity in the original pigments.
How These Rothkos Were Restored Without Touching the Canvas|Adam Rogers|May 30, 2021|The Daily Beast
I wanted to write fiction, which was what Barry was reading, and he had wrapped me in sentences like cords of luminosity.
Remembering My Friend Barry Lopez|Bob Shacochis|January 5, 2021|Outside Online
The first rung consists of “standard candle” stars in and around our own galaxy that have well-defined luminosities, and which are close enough to exhibit parallax — the only sure way to tell how far away things are without traveling there.
Astronomers Get Their Wish, and a Cosmic Crisis Gets Worse|Natalie Wolchover|December 17, 2020|Quanta Magazine

It basically breaks our understanding of the luminosities and brightnesses that kilonovae are supposed to have.
Astronomers spotted colliding neutron stars that may have formed a magnetar|Lisa Grossman|December 1, 2020|Science News
These sculptures are in his typical style—figures molded out of colorful stainless steel with striking luminosity.
Lady Gaga’s Jeff Koons-Designed Album Cover Comes to Life|The Daily Beast|November 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Nikos Kazantzakis had no problems writing a moving novel of beauty, profundity, and luminosity.
Examining the Many Novels on Jesus Christ|David Masciotra|December 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
So the plan as of a few years ago in the back of people's minds was to go to a higher luminosity.
When Particles Collide|Alexander Fabry|October 11, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Our fellows were being hard beset to hold on to what they had won; there, where the horizon stood out with spectral luminosity.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
The night grows dark, the wind rises and is cold, and the tide changes; so does the luminosity of the sea.
Young Folks' Library, Volume XI (of 20)|Various
Other naturalists who have had opportunities of seeing the insect in its native regions strongly deny its luminosity.
The Romance of Natural History, Second Series|Philip Henry Gosse
The ideal method looks to the use of a very rich gas, and the burning of it with a maximum of luminosity.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 586, March 26, 1887|Various
Recently an extraordinary instance of luminosity was recorded as occurring in our own country.
Fungi: Their Nature and Uses|Mordecai Cubitt Cooke

British Dictionary definitions for luminosity

luminosity

/ (ˌluːmɪˈnɒsɪtɪ) /

noun plural -ties

the condition of being luminous

something that is luminous

astronomy a measure of the radiant power emitted by a star

physics the attribute of an object or colour enabling the extent to which an object emits light to be observedFormer name: brightness See also colour

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

luminosity

Origin of luminosity

OTHER WORDS FROM luminosity

Words nearby luminosity

Words related to luminosity

How to use luminosity in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for luminosity