noctilucent

[ nok-tuh-loo-suh nt ]

/ ˌnɒk təˈlu sənt /

adjective Meteorology.

(of high-altitude clouds) visible during the short night of the summer.

Nearby words

noct. maneq., noctambulism, noctambulous, nocti-, noctiluca, noctilucent, noctis, noctograph, noctuid, noctule, nocturia

Origin of noctilucent

First recorded in 1885–90; nocti- + lucent

Related forms

noc·ti·lu·cence, noun

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

British Dictionary definitions for noctilucent

noctilucent

/ (ˌnɒktɪˈluːsənt) /

adjective

shining at night, usu. of very thin high altitude clouds observable in the summer twilight sky

Derived Forms

noctilucence, noun

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

Science definitions for noctilucent

noctilucent

[ nŏk′tə-lōō′sənt ]

Luminous at night. The term is used especially to describe certain high atmospheric cloud formations visible during summer nights at high latitudes.