spectral

[ spek-truhl ]
See synonyms for spectral on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. of or relating to a specter; ghostly; phantom.

  2. resembling or suggesting a specter.

  1. of, relating to, or produced by a spectrum or spectra.

  2. resembling or suggesting a spectrum or spectra.

Origin of spectral

1
First recorded in 1710–20; from Latin spectr(um) (see specter) + -al1

Other words from spectral

  • spec·tral·i·ty, spec·tral·ness, noun
  • spec·tral·ly, adverb
  • non·spec·tral, adjective
  • non·spec·tral·ly, adverb
  • non·spec·tral·i·ty, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use spectral in a sentence

  • Already, as he rode out of the yard, a gatepost and a tree shone spectrally.

    Cripps, the Carrier | R. D. (Richard Doddridge) Blackmore

British Dictionary definitions for spectral

spectral

/ (ˈspɛktrəl) /


adjective
  1. of or like a spectre

  2. of or relating to a spectrum: spectral colours

  1. physics (of a physical quantity) relating to a single wavelength of radiation: spectral luminous efficiency

Derived forms of spectral

  • spectrality (spɛkˈtrælɪtɪ) or spectralness, noun
  • spectrally, adverb

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