"fluoresce" meaning in English

See fluoresce in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

IPA: /fləˈɹɛs/, /flʊəˈɹɛs/, /flɔˈɹɛs/ Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-fluoresce.wav Forms: fluoresces [present, singular, third-person], fluorescing [participle, present], fluoresced [participle, past], fluoresced [past]
Rhymes: -ɛs Etymology: Back-formation from fluorescence. Etymology templates: {{back-form|en|fluorescence}} Back-formation from fluorescence Head templates: {{en-verb}} fluoresce (third-person singular simple present fluoresces, present participle fluorescing, simple past and past participle fluoresced)
  1. (intransitive, physics) To emit electromagnetic radiation, especially visible light, when absorbing radiation of some other wavelength. Tags: intransitive Translations (to emit light): fluoreski (Esperanto), fluoreszieren (German), fluorescer (Portuguese), флуоресци́ровать (fluorescírovatʹ) [imperfective] (Russian), fluorescera (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-fluoresce-en-verb-rZtoqBMb Categories (other): Physics, English back-formations Disambiguation of English back-formations: 37 41 23 Topics: natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics Disambiguation of 'to emit light': 75 12 13
  2. (transitive, physics) To cause to fluoresce; to make fluorescent. Tags: transitive
    Sense id: en-fluoresce-en-verb-pRQI8VxZ Categories (other): Physics, English back-formations, English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Esperanto translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Portuguese translations, Terms with Russian translations, Terms with Swedish translations Disambiguation of English back-formations: 37 41 23 Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 29 51 21 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 23 55 22 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 28 56 16 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 19 62 19 Disambiguation of Terms with Esperanto translations: 17 66 17 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 17 65 18 Disambiguation of Terms with Portuguese translations: 19 62 19 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 17 66 17 Disambiguation of Terms with Swedish translations: 17 65 18 Topics: natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics
  3. (intransitive) Of colours, to be very bright; to be so bright as to appear to radiate as a light source. Tags: intransitive
    Sense id: en-fluoresce-en-verb-yAFd64WB Categories (other): English back-formations Disambiguation of English back-formations: 37 41 23
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Derived forms: autofluoresce, autofluorescing, biofluoresce, fluorescamine, fluorescein, fluorescin Related terms: fluorescence, fluorescent, fluorescer, fluorescently, calesce, recalesce

Inflected forms

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "autofluoresce"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "autofluorescing"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "biofluoresce"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "fluorescamine"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "fluorescein"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "fluorescin"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
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      "args": {
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        "2": "fluorescence"
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      "expansion": "Back-formation from fluorescence",
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  "etymology_text": "Back-formation from fluorescence.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "fluoresces",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "fluorescing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "fluoresced",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "fluoresced",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "fluoresce (third-person singular simple present fluoresces, present participle fluorescing, simple past and past participle fluoresced)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "fluorescence"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "fluorescent"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "fluorescer"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "fluorescently"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "calesce"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "recalesce"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Physics",
          "orig": "en:Physics",
          "parents": [],
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          "bold_text_offsets": [
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          ],
          "ref": "1974, John Boorman, Zardoz, London: Pan Books, page 98:",
          "text": "The blinding light did not hurt, it filled him, he glowed, all his veins fluoresced, each one alive with new growth.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To emit electromagnetic radiation, especially visible light, when absorbing radiation of some other wavelength."
      ],
      "id": "en-fluoresce-en-verb-rZtoqBMb",
      "links": [
        [
          "physics",
          "physics"
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        [
          "electromagnetic radiation",
          "electromagnetic radiation"
        ],
        [
          "visible",
          "visible"
        ],
        [
          "absorb",
          "absorb"
        ],
        [
          "wavelength",
          "wavelength"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive, physics) To emit electromagnetic radiation, especially visible light, when absorbing radiation of some other wavelength."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "natural-sciences",
        "physical-sciences",
        "physics"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "75 12 13",
          "code": "eo",
          "lang": "Esperanto",
          "lang_code": "eo",
          "sense": "to emit light",
          "word": "fluoreski"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "75 12 13",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "lang_code": "de",
          "sense": "to emit light",
          "word": "fluoreszieren"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "75 12 13",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "lang_code": "pt",
          "sense": "to emit light",
          "word": "fluorescer"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "75 12 13",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "lang_code": "ru",
          "roman": "fluorescírovatʹ",
          "sense": "to emit light",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "флуоресци́ровать"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "75 12 13",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "lang_code": "sv",
          "sense": "to emit light",
          "word": "fluorescera"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
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          "langcode": "en",
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          "_dis": "29 51 21",
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "23 55 22",
          "kind": "other",
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "28 56 16",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "19 62 19",
          "kind": "other",
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        {
          "_dis": "17 66 17",
          "kind": "other",
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          "_dis": "17 65 18",
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          "_dis": "19 62 19",
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        {
          "_dis": "17 66 17",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "17 65 18",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              119,
              130
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2012, Oliver J. Wagner, Brian E. Louie, Eric Vallières, Ralph W. Aye, Alexander S. Farivar, “Near-Infrared Fluorescence Imaging Can Help Identify the Contralateral Phrenic Nerve During Robotic Thymectomy”, in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, volume 94, →DOI, page 622:",
          "text": "During right robotic thymectomy, fluorescence imaging facilitates identification of the contralateral phrenic nerve by fluorescing the pericardiophrenic vessels.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To cause to fluoresce; to make fluorescent."
      ],
      "id": "en-fluoresce-en-verb-pRQI8VxZ",
      "links": [
        [
          "physics",
          "physics"
        ],
        [
          "fluorescent",
          "fluorescent"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive, physics) To cause to fluoresce; to make fluorescent."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "natural-sciences",
        "physical-sciences",
        "physics"
      ]
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      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Of colours, to be very bright; to be so bright as to appear to radiate as a light source."
      ],
      "id": "en-fluoresce-en-verb-yAFd64WB",
      "links": [
        [
          "bright",
          "bright"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) Of colours, to be very bright; to be so bright as to appear to radiate as a light source."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/fləˈɹɛs/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/flʊəˈɹɛs/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/flɔˈɹɛs/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-fluoresce.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e7/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-fluoresce.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-fluoresce.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e7/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-fluoresce.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-fluoresce.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɛs"
    },
    {
      "homophone": "floresce"
    }
  ],
  "word": "fluoresce"
}
{
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    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English terms with homophones",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/ɛs",
    "Rhymes:English/ɛs/2 syllables",
    "Terms with Esperanto translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Portuguese translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations",
    "Terms with Swedish translations"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "autofluoresce"
    },
    {
      "word": "autofluorescing"
    },
    {
      "word": "biofluoresce"
    },
    {
      "word": "fluorescamine"
    },
    {
      "word": "fluorescein"
    },
    {
      "word": "fluorescin"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
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      "expansion": "Back-formation from fluorescence",
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  "etymology_text": "Back-formation from fluorescence.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "fluoresces",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "fluorescing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
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    },
    {
      "form": "fluoresced",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
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    },
    {
      "form": "fluoresced",
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  "pos": "verb",
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      "word": "fluorescence"
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    {
      "word": "fluorescent"
    },
    {
      "word": "fluorescer"
    },
    {
      "word": "fluorescently"
    },
    {
      "word": "calesce"
    },
    {
      "word": "recalesce"
    }
  ],
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        "English intransitive verbs",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "en:Physics"
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          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To emit electromagnetic radiation, especially visible light, when absorbing radiation of some other wavelength."
      ],
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        [
          "physics",
          "physics"
        ],
        [
          "electromagnetic radiation",
          "electromagnetic radiation"
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        [
          "visible",
          "visible"
        ],
        [
          "absorb",
          "absorb"
        ],
        [
          "wavelength",
          "wavelength"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive, physics) To emit electromagnetic radiation, especially visible light, when absorbing radiation of some other wavelength."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "natural-sciences",
        "physical-sciences",
        "physics"
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          "text": "During right robotic thymectomy, fluorescence imaging facilitates identification of the contralateral phrenic nerve by fluorescing the pericardiophrenic vessels.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To cause to fluoresce; to make fluorescent."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "physics",
          "physics"
        ],
        [
          "fluorescent",
          "fluorescent"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive, physics) To cause to fluoresce; to make fluorescent."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "natural-sciences",
        "physical-sciences",
        "physics"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English intransitive verbs"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Of colours, to be very bright; to be so bright as to appear to radiate as a light source."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "bright",
          "bright"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) Of colours, to be very bright; to be so bright as to appear to radiate as a light source."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/fləˈɹɛs/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/flʊəˈɹɛs/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/flɔˈɹɛs/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-fluoresce.wav",
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    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɛs"
    },
    {
      "homophone": "floresce"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "eo",
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "lang_code": "eo",
      "sense": "to emit light",
      "word": "fluoreski"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "sense": "to emit light",
      "word": "fluoreszieren"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "lang_code": "pt",
      "sense": "to emit light",
      "word": "fluorescer"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "roman": "fluorescírovatʹ",
      "sense": "to emit light",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "флуоресци́ровать"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "lang_code": "sv",
      "sense": "to emit light",
      "word": "fluorescera"
    }
  ],
  "word": "fluoresce"
}

Download raw JSONL data for fluoresce meaning in English (4.7kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-02-11 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-02-01 using wiktextract (f492ef9 and 59dc20b). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.