fluoresce

F4L1U1O1R1E1S1C3E1
/fləˈɹɛs//flʊəˈɹɛs//flɔˈɹɛs/

verb

To emit electromagnetic radiation, especially visible light, when absorbing radiation of some other wavelength.

OriginEnglish fluorescencebf. ← Middle English sparston ← Old English spærstān →
UncommonScrabble 14
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Meanings

verbfluoresce (third-person singular simple present fluoresces, present participle fluorescing, simple past and past participle fluoresced)

present singular third person fluoresces · participle present fluorescing · participle past fluoresced · past fluoresced

  1. intransitivenatural sciencesTo emit electromagnetic radiation, especially visible light, when absorbing radiation of some other wavelength.

    The blinding light did not hurt, it filled him, he glowed, all his veins fluoresced, each one alive with new growth.

    1974, John Boorman, Zardoz, London: Pan Books, page 98
  2. transitivenatural sciencesTo cause to fluoresce; to make fluorescent.

    During right robotic thymectomy, fluorescence imaging facilitates identification of the contralateral phrenic nerve by fluorescing the pericardiophrenic vessels.

    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
  3. intransitiveOf colours, to be very bright; to be so bright as to appear to radiate as a light source.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰel-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*bʰlewH-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*bʰluH-yé-ti?
  4. Latinfluō
  5. Latinfluor
  6. Englishfluor
  7. Englishfluorite
  8. Middle Low Germanspar
  9. Old Englishspærstān
  10. Middle Englishsparston
  11. Englishsparstonebf.
  12. Englishspar
  13. Englishfluorspar
  14. Englishfluorescencebf.
  15. Englishfluoresce

Back-formation from fluorescence.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Esperanto fluoreski
  • fluoreskito emit light
German fluoreszieren
  • fluoreszierento emit light
Portuguese fluorescer
  • fluorescerto emit light
Russian флуоресци́ровать
  • флуоресци́ровать (fluorescírovatʹ)to emit light
Swedish fluorescera
  • fluorescerato emit light

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with fluoresce

saddressaccesspressprocessyeslessexpresssuccessunlesscongressguessdressstressexcessSMSassesschessmessblesspossessdistressnessWes
All rhymes →

Sounds the same

floresce
Cite this entry
APA

fluoresce. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fluoresce

MLA

“fluoresce.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fluoresce. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fluoresce,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fluoresce.

Source: fluoresce on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.