spectrum

American  

[spek-truhm] / ˈspɛk trəm /

noun

• spectra,
  plural
• spectrums
  plural

1. Physics.

   1. an array of entities, as light waves or particles, ordered in accordance with the magnitudes of a common physical property, as wavelength or mass: often the band of colors produced when sunlight is passed through a prism, comprising red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

   2. this band or series of colors together with extensions at the ends that are not visible to the eye, but that can be studied by means of photography, heat effects, etc., and that are produced by the dispersion of radiant energy other than ordinary light rays.

2. a broad range of varied but related ideas or objects, the individual features of which tend to overlap so as to form a continuous series or sequence.

   the spectrum of political beliefs.

3. the range of traits and behaviors that are considered to be characteristic of autism spectrum disorder.

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idioms

1. on the spectrum, having an autism spectrum disorder, or displaying behaviors considered characteristic of those disorders.

   The nonprofit works to increase public awareness about the day-to-day issues faced by people on the spectrum.

spectrum British  

/ ˈspɛktrəm /

noun

1. the distribution of colours produced when white light is dispersed by a prism or diffraction grating. There is a continuous change in wavelength from red, the longest wavelength, to violet, the shortest. Seven colours are usually distinguished: violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red

2. the whole range of electromagnetic radiation with respect to its wavelength or frequency

3. any particular distribution of electromagnetic radiation often showing lines or bands characteristic of the substance emitting the radiation or absorbing it See also absorption spectrum emission spectrum

4. any similar distribution or record of the energies, velocities, masses, etc, of atoms, ions, electrons, etc

   a mass spectrum

5. any range or scale, as of capabilities, emotions, or moods

6. another name for an afterimage

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spectrum Scientific  

/ spĕk′trəm /

• spectra
  plural

1. A range over which some measurable property of a physical phenomenon, such as the frequency of sound or electromagnetic radiation, or the mass of specific kinds of particles, can vary. For example, the spectrum of visible light is the range of electromagnetic radiation with frequencies between between 4.7 × 10 ¹⁴ and 7.5 × 10 ¹⁴ hertz.

2. The observed distribution of a phenomenon across a range of measurement.

3. See more at atomic spectrum spectroscopy

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spectrum Cultural  

1. The range of wavelengths characteristic of a specific type of radiation.

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Discover More

The spectrum making up visible light contains light in the colors violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red, with violet having the shortest wavelength and highest frequency, and red having the longest wavelength and lowest frequency.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• spectra
  plural
• spectrums
  plural

Etymology

Origin of spectrum

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin: “appearance, form,” equivalent to spec(ere) “to look at, regard” + -trum instrumental noun suffix

Explanation

A spectrum is a broad range of similar things or qualities, like the wide spectrum of political beliefs in this country, ranging anywhere from super conservative to über-liberal and everything in between. Our modern definition of spectrum started out in the 1600s, when scientists used it to refer to the band of colors formed by a beam of light, like a rainbow. In physics, it’s a word that describes the distribution of something, like energy or atomic particles. We still use those scientific meanings today, but spectrum can also apply to non-science related groupings or ranges of related things.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spectrum spectra spectrums

There is betrayal felt at the other end of the ideological spectrum, too.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

Traditional theories could not fully reproduce the detailed shape of the superconducting energy spectrum seen in earlier experiments.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026

Despite this, she’s universally adored across the political spectrum.

From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026

I always felt like at some point the movie had to eventually be seen on the grand spectrum of time.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

By focusing a telescope on an individual star or galaxy, one can similarly observe the spectrum of the light from that star or galaxy.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking

For the first time, DR20 includes SDSS-V stellar and extra-galactic optical spectra obtained in the Southern Hemisphere.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026

Roughly 99% of those objects will be observed only photometrically, meaning through images taken in different colors rather than detailed spectra.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 29, 2026

They also examined spectra, which are created when light is separated into its component wavelengths, much like a prism creating a rainbow.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 2026

By examining highly precise data collected by DAMPE, researchers discovered a universal pattern in the energy spectra of primary cosmic ray nuclei, ranging from lightweight protons to much heavier iron nuclei.

From Science Daily ● May 14, 2026

Different stars have different spectra, but the relative brightness of the different colors is always exactly what one would expect to find in the light emitted by an object that is glowing red hot.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking

In the last 15 years or so, psychiatry has embraced what’s called a dimensional approach, based on the idea of scales and spectrums of trait and symptom severity.

From Scientific American ● Jul. 24, 2023

“These surveys tend to include much broader spectrums of trans individuals, and we cannot be as certain that our results are as problematic in the broader group,” Dr. Frisch said.

From New York Times ● Jun. 27, 2023

“I’m questioning whether it is. … The Pride flag represents making space for all humans on all the spectrums, and this is where we’re going as a human species,” Cain said.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 14, 2023

During the last six decades, the religiosity of U.S. militarism has faded into a more generalized set of assumptions -- shared, in the current crisis, across traditional political spectrums.

From Salon ● Feb. 24, 2022

We're just different, like we exist on different spectrums.

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Related Words

• continuum
• range
• sphere