luminesce means to give off light, including in the invisible electromagnetic radiation frequencies, or become luminescent. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
luminesce is pronounced /ˌlumɪˈnɛs/.
Why “luminesce” is a great word
LUMINESCE — [Verb] To emit light through a process of luminescence rather than incandescence. A back-formation from 'luminescent', itself from Latin lumen ("light") + the suffix '-escent' ("beginning to be"). First attested 1896. Unlike "glow," which suggests a steady, warm emission from heat, or "shine," which implies reflecting an external source, to luminesce is to generate cold light from within. It is the ghostly green of a watch dial in a dark room, the sudden flash of a firefly in a still summer night, or the eerie blue of decaying wood on a forest floor—light as a quiet, self-contained rebellion against the darkness, matter's most silent confession.
Etymology
Back-formation from luminescent.
verb
- To give off light, including in the invisible electromagnetic radiation frequencies, or become luminescent.“Phosphorus will only begin to luminesce at a certain small pressure of oxygen.”