counterillumination

Questions

What does counterillumination mean?

A behaviour, found in some cephalopods etc., in which bioluminescence is used to provide camouflage when viewed from below.

Where does counterillumination come from?

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Proto-Indo-European *-teros Proto-Italic *-teros Proto-Italic *komterosder. Proto-Italic *komterād Latin contrāder. Old French contre- Anglo-Norman countre-bor. Middle English counter- English counter- English illumination English counterillumination From counter- + illumination.

How to pronounce counterillumination

1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “counterillumination”.
2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “counterillumination”.
4. Repeat and practice — Say “counterillumination” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.