ultraviolet

[ uhl-truh-vahy-uh-lit ]

/ ˌʌl trəˈvaɪ ə lɪt /

adjective

beyond the violet in the spectrum, corresponding to light having wavelengths shorter than 4000 angstrom units.

pertaining to, producing, or utilizing light having such wavelengths: an ultraviolet lamp.

noun

ultraviolet radiation.

Nearby words

ultrastructure, ultrasuede, ultrathin, ultrathin section, ultratropical, ultraviolet, ultraviolet astronomy, ultraviolet filter, ultraviolet keratoconjunctivitis, ultraviolet lamp, ultraviolet microscope

Compare infrared.

Origin of ultraviolet

First recorded in 1870–75; ultra- + violet

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

Examples from the Web for ultraviolet

This ultraviolet camera shows people what the sun is really doing to their skin.
Muppet Beastie Boys, Robin Williams Tribute, and More Viral Videos|The Daily Beast Video|August 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
All of these instruments orbit Earth, beyond the atmosphere that blocks X-rays and most ultraviolet light.
The Supermassive Black Hole Smokescreen|Matthew R. Francis|June 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
PhoneSoap disinfects your cell phone for $50 bucks with ultraviolet light in less than four minutes.
We are Living in the Golden Age of the Most Narcissistic and Voyeuristic Tech Imaginable|Charles C. Johnson|January 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
UltraViolet is working to persuade Reebok to cut ties with Ross.
Reebok Urged to Drop Rick Ross; Zara Labor Practices Under Fire; Marilyn Monroe–Inspired Footwear Line Announced|The Fashion Beast Team|April 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The rally was arranged by UltraViolet, an activist group against sexism.
Reebok Urged to Drop Rick Ross; Zara Labor Practices Under Fire; Marilyn Monroe–Inspired Footwear Line Announced|The Fashion Beast Team|April 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The skin of his face had been dried out by ship's air, burned by ultraviolet and broiled by infra red.
The Stoker and the Stars|Algirdas Jonas Budrys (AKA John A. Sentry)
The ultraviolet rays falling upon this screen were transformed into visible rays by the phenomenon of fluorescence.
Artificial Light|M. Luckiesh
In most of the vats vegetation grew in various stages, greening under the ultraviolet rays that radiated from the low roof.
Rebels of the Red Planet|Charles Louis Fontenay
"Better put in the ultraviolet glass shields in our helmets, boys," he called into the jet-boat communicator.
Danger in Deep Space|Carey Rockwell
In the "X" circuit, the negative was grounded along an ultraviolet beam from the ship's repeller-ray generator.
The Airlords of Han|Philip Francis Nowlan

British Dictionary definitions for ultraviolet

ultraviolet

/ (ˌʌltrəˈvaɪəlɪt) /

noun

the part of the electromagnetic spectrum with wavelengths shorter than light but longer than X-rays; in the range 0.4 × 10 –6 and 1 × 10 –8 metres

adjective

of, relating to, or consisting of radiation lying in the ultravioletultraviolet radiation Abbreviation: UV

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

Medicine definitions for ultraviolet

ultraviolet

[ ŭl′trə-vī′ə-lĭt ]

adj.

Of or relating to the range of invisible radiation wavelengths from about 4 nanometers, on the border of the x-ray region, to about 380 nanometers, just beyond the violet in the visible spectrum.

n.

Ultraviolet light or the ultraviolet part of the spectrum.

Science definitions for ultraviolet

ultraviolet

[ ŭl′trə-vī′ə-lĭt ]

Adjective

Relating to electromagnetic radiation having frequencies higher than those of visible light but lower than those of x-rays, approximately 1015-1016 hertz. Some animals, such as bees, are capable of seeing ultraviolet radiation invisible to the human eye. See more at electromagnetic spectrum.

Noun

Ultraviolet light or the ultraviolet part of the spectrum. See Note at infrared.