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incandescent

adjective

No English definition recorded for this entry.

L228222 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˌɪn.kænˈdɛs.ənt/ / /ˌɪŋ.kænˈdɛs.ənt/ / /ˌɪn.kənˈdɛs.ənt/

adj

Etymology: Borrowed from French incandescent, from Latin incandescens, from incandesco (“be heated, glow”), from in- (intensifying prefix) + candesco (“become white”), from candidus (“white”).

  1. Emitting light as a result of being heated.

    We will all go together when we go / All suffused with an incandescent glow

    Rather than burning out as incandescent bulbs do, L.E.D.’s light output dims over tens of thousands of hours. L.E.D.’s are also more resistant to vibration than incandescents or screw-in fluorescent bulbs, and do not flicker or hum.

  2. Shining very brightly.

    Those multitoned buttes and mesas [of the Grand Canyon], and that incandescent sequence of colorful bands that make one of the natural wonders of the world so grand, can also be found over 100 million miles away [on Mars].

  3. Showing intense emotion, as of a performance, etc.

    The incandescent performance enraptured the audience.

  4. Extremely angry; furious.

    She is incandescent with rage because someone stole her wallet.

noun

Etymology: Borrowed from French incandescent, from Latin incandescens, from incandesco (“be heated, glow”), from in- (intensifying prefix) + candesco (“become white”), from candidus (“white”).

  1. An incandescent lamp or bulb.

    Compact fluorescents are typically rated at 7,500 to 10,000 hours, and incandescents at about 1,500 hours.