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Glite Dictionary
ultraviolet spectrum

ultraviolet spectrum

1 5.3
A range of light waves shorter than visible light that can cause sunburn
  • noun
  • /ˌʌltrəˈvaɪəlɪt ˈspɛktrəm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : espectro ultravioleta
  • The effects of sunlight on skin are primarily due to the ultraviolet spectrum of radiation it emits.

Examples

  • The light was deep in the ultraviolet spectrum, as when we used to go, as kids, to the exhibitions at the Hall of Science and Industry.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Certain materials can only be analyzed in the ultraviolet spectrum for them to be effectively identified.

  • Scientists study star emissions in the ultraviolet spectrum to gather data about their chemical composition.

Synonyms

ultraviolet light
vsultraviolet spectrum
  • Specialized
10 4.0

A type of light from the sun that you cannot see and that can burn your skin

is the band of wavelengths rather than the term for the radiation
ultraviolet radiation
vsultraviolet spectrum
  • Specialized
4 4.1

Invisible light from the sun that can burn skin

is the range of wavelengths rather than the radiation or its effects
UV
vsultraviolet spectrum
  • Specialized
4.2

Invisible light that can burn or damage skin

is the range of those wavelengths rather than the waves themselves

Surface Forms

ultraviolet spectrum singular
ultraviolet spectrums plural
ultraviolet spectra plural

Morphology

ultraviolet + spectrum

The noun phrase directly combines 'ultraviolet' (wavelengths beyond violet) with 'spectrum' (a band or range of wavelengths), so the overall meaning is immediately derivable from its parts. This straightforward adjective + noun compositional pattern is common in scientific vocabulary and across languages, making it transparent to learners who know the constituent words.

Etymology

Ultraviolet spectrum comes from how people first talked about light: they called the last visible color violet, used ultra to mean 'beyond', and spectrum to mean a 'row of colors'. So ultraviolet spectrum literally means the 'row of colors' beyond violet, which is why it names the invisible, shorter waves of light just past visible violet.