Meanings
nounblackbody (plural blackbodies)
plural blackbodies · alternative black body
- natural sciencesA theoretical body, approximated by a hole in a hollow black sphere, that absorbs all incident electromagnetic radiation and reflects none (it has a characteristic emission spectrum).
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna hypothetical object capable of absorbing all the electromagnetic radiation falling on it
Similar
black bodyfull radiator
Broader
natural object
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From German, coined by German physicist and mathematician Gustav Kirchhoff in 1860. By surface analysis, black + body.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 黑體 /黑体
- 黑體 /黑体 (hēitǐ)an idealized object that absorbs all electromagnetic radiation that falls on it
Finnish musta kappale
- musta kappalean idealized object that absorbs all electromagnetic radiation that falls on it
French corps noir
- corps noiran idealized object that absorbs all electromagnetic radiation that falls on it
German schwarzer Körper
- schwarzer Körperan idealized object that absorbs all electromagnetic radiation that falls on it
Greek μέλαν σώμα
- μέλαν σώμα (mélan sóma)an idealized object that absorbs all electromagnetic radiation that falls on it
Hindi कृष्णिका
- कृष्णिका (kŕṣṇikā)an idealized object that absorbs all electromagnetic radiation that falls on it
Hungarian fekete test
- fekete testan idealized object that absorbs all electromagnetic radiation that falls on it
Japanese 黒体
- 黒体 (kokutai)an idealized object that absorbs all electromagnetic radiation that falls on it
Korean 흑체
- 흑체 (heukche)an idealized object that absorbs all electromagnetic radiation that falls on it
Polish ciało doskonale czarne
- ciało doskonale czarnean idealized object that absorbs all electromagnetic radiation that falls on it
Russian чёрное те́ло
- чёрное те́ло (čórnoje télo)an idealized object that absorbs all electromagnetic radiation that falls on it
Spanish cuerpo negro
- cuerpo negroan idealized object that absorbs all electromagnetic radiation that falls on it
Swedish svartkropp
- svartkroppan idealized object that absorbs all electromagnetic radiation that falls on it
Thai วัตถุดำ
- วัตถุดำ (wát-tù-dam)an idealized object that absorbs all electromagnetic radiation that falls on it
Cite this entry
APA
blackbody. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blackbody
MLA
“blackbody.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blackbody. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “blackbody,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blackbody.
Source: blackbody on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.