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spectrum
[ spek-truhm ]
noun
- Physics.
- an array of entities, as light waves or particles, ordered in accordance with the magnitudes of a common physical property, as wavelength or mass: often the band of colors produced when sunlight is passed through a prism, comprising red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
- this band or series of colors together with extensions at the ends that are not visible to the eye, but that can be studied by means of photography, heat effects, etc., and that are produced by the dispersion of radiant energy other than ordinary light rays. Compare band spectrum, electromagnetic spectrum, mass spectrum.
- a broad range of varied but related ideas or objects, the individual features of which tend to overlap so as to form a continuous series or sequence:
the spectrum of political beliefs.
- the range of traits and behaviors that are considered to be characteristic of autism spectrum disorder.
spectrum
/ ˈɛٰə /
noun
- the distribution of colours produced when white light is dispersed by a prism or diffraction grating. There is a continuous change in wavelength from red, the longest wavelength, to violet, the shortest. Seven colours are usually distinguished: violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red
- the whole range of electromagnetic radiation with respect to its wavelength or frequency
- any particular distribution of electromagnetic radiation often showing lines or bands characteristic of the substance emitting the radiation or absorbing it See also absorption spectrum emission spectrum
- any similar distribution or record of the energies, velocities, masses, etc, of atoms, ions, electrons, etc
a mass spectrum
- any range or scale, as of capabilities, emotions, or moods
- another name for an afterimage
spectrum
- A range over which some measurable property of a physical phenomenon, such as the frequency of sound or electromagnetic radiation, or the mass of specific kinds of particles, can vary. For example, the spectrum of visible light is the range of electromagnetic radiation with frequencies between between 4.7 × 10 14 and 7.5 × 10 14 hertz.
- The observed distribution of a phenomenon across a range of measurement.
- See more at atomic spectrum
spectrum
- The range of wavelengths characteristic of a specific type of radiation .
Notes
Word History and Origins
Origin of spectrum1
Word History and Origins
Origin of spectrum1
Idioms and Phrases
- on the spectrum, having an autism spectrum disorder, or displaying behaviors considered characteristic of those disorders:
The nonprofit works to increase public awareness about the day-to-day issues faced by people on the spectrum.
Example Sentences
Designed to promote a festival appearance, it was criticised by politicians across the spectrum.
Congress established the FCC in 1934 as an independent regulator of phone service and spectrum — airwaves used by broadcasters.
Despite their differing positions on the left-right spectrum, what these techno-futurist ideologies have in common are their ostensibly well-intentioned attempts to make human societies more “efficient.”
The Green MPs have made less noise than their other newbie rivals at the other end of the spectrum, Reform.
First recognized as a developmental disorder in 1978, autism is a spectrum disorder, meaning that symptoms vary by person.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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