Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

luminescence

/ˌluː.məˈnɛs.əns/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.51 in modern English

Syllables
lu-min-es-cence
IPA
/ˌluː.məˈnɛs.əns/
18
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
4
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any emission of light that cannot be attributed merely to the temperature of the emitting body.

Countable; Uncountable

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *lewk- Proto-Indo-European *-s- Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥ Proto-Indo-European *léwksmn̥ Proto-Italic *louksmən Latin lumen Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁sḱeti Proto-Italic *-ēskō Latin -ēscō Latin -escensder. English -escence English luminescence From Latin lumen + English -escence.

Usage

Inflected Forms

luminescences (plural)

Derived Forms

adsorboluminescence autoluminescence bioluminescence cathodoluminescence chemiluminescence chemoluminescence crystalloluminescence electroluminescence epiluminescence fractoluminescence galvanoluminescence immunoluminescence

Frequently Paired Words

fluorescence luminesce luminescent phosphorescence

Synonyms

glow

Rhymes With

essence adolescence fluorescence obsolescence senescence acquiescence convalescence evanescence quintessence coalescence phosphorescence iridescence

Questions

How do you pronounce luminescence?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌluː.məˈnɛs.əns/.
What does luminescence mean?
Any emission of light that cannot be attributed merely to the temperature of the emitting body.
Where does luminescence come from?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *lewk- Proto-Indo-European *-s- Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥ Proto-Indo-European *léwksmn̥ Proto-Italic *louksmən Latin lumen Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁sḱeti Proto-Italic *-ēskō Latin -ēscō Latin -escensder. English -escence English luminescence From Latin lumen + English -escence.

How to pronounce luminescence

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