incandescence

«incandescence» in Mova's school dictionary: The light given off by something because it is very hot… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

noun (incandescence — uncountable)

meaning for a pupil

1) (science) The light given off by something because it is very hot, like a glowing metal wire or lava. tree →

2) (literary) A strong bright glow or a burning strong feeling. tree →

sense in the lessons

In science lessons on light and heat, old-fashioned light bulbs work by incandescence: electricity heats a thin wire until it glows white. The Sun, flames, red-hot coals and lava also shine by incandescence. In stories it describes brilliant light or passion. Phrases: incandescent bulb, the incandescence of lava.

examples

• An old light bulb shines by incandescence when its wire gets white-hot. tree →
• The incandescence of the lava lit up the night. tree →
• Red-hot iron in the blacksmith's fire shows incandescence. tree →
• LED bulbs don't use incandescence, so they waste less heat. tree →
• The candle flame glows by incandescence of tiny soot bits. tree →
• The incandescence of the sparkler lit up our faces on Bonfire Night. tree →

note

Adjective «incandescent» — which also means extremely angry in informal UK speech («incandescent with rage»). Not the same as «fluorescence» or «luminescence», which give light without great heat (glow sticks, fireflies).

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «incandescence» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.