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SPECTRUM
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
Irregular inflected form: spectra
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A broad range of related objects or values or qualities or ideas or activities
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("spectrum" is a kind of...):
ambit; compass; orbit; range; reach; scope (an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control:)
Derivation:
spectral (of or relating to a spectrum)
Sense 2
Meaning:
An ordered array of the components of an emission or wave
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural phenomena
Hypernyms ("spectrum" is a kind of...):
array (an orderly arrangement)
Meronyms (parts of "spectrum"):
spectrum line (an isolated component of a spectrum formed by radiation at a uniform frequency)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "spectrum"):
absorption spectrum (the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation that has passed through a medium that absorbed radiation of certain wavelengths)
action spectrum (the efficiency with which electromagnetic radiation produces a photochemical reaction plotted as a function of the wavelength of the radiation)
atomic spectrum ((physics) a spectrum of radiation caused by electron transitions within an atom; the series of spectrum lines is characteristic of the element)
electromagnetic spectrum (the entire frequency range of electromagnetic waves)
emission spectrum (spectrum of electromagnetic radiation emitted by a self-luminous source)
infrared spectrum (the spectrum of infrared radiation)
line spectrum (a spectrum in which energy is concentrated at particular wavelengths; produced by excited atoms and ions as they fall back to a lower energy level)
mass spectrum (a distribution of ions as shown by a mass spectrograph or a mass spectrometer)
microwave spectrum (the part of the electromagnetic spectrum corresponding to microwaves)
radio-frequency spectrum; radio spectrum (the entire spectrum of electromagnetic frequencies used for communications; includes frequencies used for radio and radar and television)
acoustic spectrum; sound spectrum (the distribution of energy as a function of frequency for a particular sound source)
ultraviolet spectrum (the spectrum of ultraviolet radiation)
color spectrum; visible spectrum (the distribution of colors produced when light is dispersed by a prism)
Derivation:
spectral (of or relating to a spectrum)
Context examples:
A broad-spectrum, beta-lactam penicillin antibiotic with antibacterial activity.
(Mezlocillin, NCI Thesaurus)
A spectrum of developmental disorders that includes autism, Asperger syndrome, and Rett syndrome.
(Autism Spectrum Disorder, NCI Thesaurus)
Currently, children are not diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders until they are old enough for their behavior to change, usually at two or three years old.
(Scientists say excess cerebrospinal fluid may serve as early sign of autism, Wikinews)
A broad-spectrum, semisynthetic aminopenicillin antibiotic with bactericidal activity.
(Amoxicillin, NCI Thesaurus)
Mars will often find you at one end of the spectrum or the other—very happy or not happy with a partner in one area of your life.
(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)
The minor component of the neomycin complex, a broad spectrum aminoglycoside antibiotic derived from Streptomyces fradiae with antibacterial activity.
(Neamine, NCI Thesaurus)
Asperger syndrome (AS) is an autism spectrum disorder.
(Asperger Syndrome, NIH: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
A broad-spectrum, semisynthetic penicillin derivative with antibacterial activity.
(Aspoxicillin, NCI Thesaurus)
This agent has been shown to exhibit a broad spectrum of antineoplastic activity against experimental tumors, including those resistant to other alkylating agents.
(Anaxirone, NCI Thesaurus)
To the amazement of the Hubble team, they found the spectra of both planets not to have any telltale chemical signatures.
('Cotton Candy' Planet Mysteries Unravel in New Hubble Observations, NASA)
