adjective
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of or like a spectre
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of or relating to a spectrum
spectral colours
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physics (of a physical quantity) relating to a single wavelength of radiation
spectral luminous efficiency
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of spectral
First recorded in 1710–20; from Latin spectr(um) ( see specter) + -al 1
Explanation
When something is spectral, it has a ghostlike quality; it seems to vanish or disappear. You may have heard of ghosts referred to as "specters": that means that they're spectral. You may recognize the spect part of the adjective spectral from words like "spectacle," "spectrum," and "spectacular." All of these words share a similar meaning, which comes from the Latin verb specere, "look at, view." When something is spectral, think of it as something ghostly, something you can see but not touch — though it won't always mean that literally. For example, after a long illness, someone might have a spectral appearance.
Vocabulary lists containing spectral
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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"Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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"The Pit and the Pendulum" by Edgar Allan Poe
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Spectral analysis of the results showed a strong signal due to ionized argon from the center of the ejected material that surrounds the original site of SN 1987A.
From Science Daily • Feb. 22, 2024
Spectral figures paced back and forth in the dark.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 2, 2023
Specifically, acquire the Spectral Steed Whistle after a talk with Melina.
From Washington Times • Mar. 23, 2022
Spectral measurements from New Horizons should make it possible to identify the individual splats from ancient impact that stuck to the surface like flies on a windshield.
From Scientific American • Jan. 8, 2019
It is very noticeable that Mather here must be considered as admitting that "in the Dark time," persons were judged "Confederates with Evil Spirits," "merely" because of Spectral Evidence.
From Salem Witchcraft and Cotton Mather A Reply by Upham, Charles Wentworth
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
