fluorescence
UK[ˌflɔːˈres.əns]US[ˌflʊˈres.əns]
n
The property of absorbing light of short (invisible) wavelength and emitting light of longer (visible) wavelength, causing a substance to glow.
n
The visible light emitted by a substance undergoing fluorescence.
Morpheme Breakdown
fluor
escence
fluor
mineral
escence
process/state
Etymology
The word 'fluorescence' originates from the mineral fluorite (calcium fluoride), from the Latin 'fluor' for 'a flowing', likely alluding to its use as a flux in metallurgy. In 1852, physicist Sir George G. Stokes coined the term to describe the property he observed in fluorite, which glowed blue when illuminated by ultraviolet light. He formed the word by combining the name of the mineral ('fluor') with the suffix '-escence', which denotes a process or state of being, thus naming "the state/property exhibited by fluorite." The logic connects the specific material where the phenomenon was first prominently studied to the abstract physical property it represents.
Analysis
Structure: fluor (mineral) + escence (process/state)
- fluor: From the Latin 'fluor' (meaning 'a flowing'), via the mineral fluorite (calcium fluoride). In this word, it refers to the mineral which was an early observed source of the phenomenon.
- escence: A noun-forming suffix from Latin '-escentia', indicating a process, state, or property of becoming or being.
Examples
The bright fluorescence of the highlighter pen makes the text easy to see under normal light.
Scientists use a special dye to study cell structures under a fluorescence microscope.
The mineral exhibits a strong blue fluorescence when exposed to ultraviolet radiation.