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luminous

[ loo-muh-nuhs ]
/ ˈlu mə nəs /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR luminous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

radiating or reflecting light; shining; bright.
lighted up or illuminated; well-lighted: the luminous ballroom.
brilliant intellectually; enlightened or enlightening, as a writer or a writer's works: a luminous concept; luminous prose.
clear; readily intelligible: a concise, luminous report.

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Origin of luminous

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Latin word lūminōsus. See lumen, -ous

OTHER WORDS FROM luminous

Words nearby luminous

luminiferous, luminism, luminophore, luminosity, luminosity class, luminous, luminous efficacy, luminous efficiency, luminous emittance, luminous energy, luminous exitance
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to luminous

lustrous, vivid, brilliant, radiant, incandescent, lucid, translucent, shining, bright, beaming, clear, crystal, effulgent, fulgent, illuminated, lambent, lit, luminescent, refulgent, resplendent

Example sentences from the Web for luminous

British Dictionary definitions for luminous

luminous
/ (ˈluːmɪnəs) /

adjective

radiating or reflecting light; shining; glowingluminous colours
(not in technical use) exhibiting luminescenceluminous paint
full of light; well-lit
(of a physical quantity in photometry) evaluated according to the visual sensation produced in an observer rather than by absolute energy measurementsluminous flux; luminous intensity Compare radiant
easily understood; lucid; clear
enlightening or wise

Derived forms of luminous

luminously, adverbluminousness, noun

Word Origin for luminous

C15: from Latin lūminōsus full of light, 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

Medical definitions for luminous

luminous
[ lōō′mə-nəs ]

adj.

Emitting light, especially emitting self-generated light.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.