Fluorescence
/ˌflʊəˈrɛsəns/noun
The emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other radiation.
Did you know?Fluorescence was named in 1852 by Sir George Stokes after fluorite, a mineral that often glows under ultraviolet light, and fluorite itself ultimately comes from Latin fluere, “to flow,” the same ancient root behind words of movement, change, and spillover.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pleu-
“to flow, float, swim”
Latin
Latin
fluere
“to flow”
Late Latin
Latin
fluor
“a flowing; flux”
19th Century
English
fluorescence
“the property of glowing when exposed to certain radiation”
Modern English
English
fluorescence
“the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other radiation”