radiation/ˌɹeɪ.diˈeɪ.ʃən/EtymologyBorrowed from Latin radiatio, radiationis. By surface analysis, radiate + -ion.radiation means the shooting forth of anything from a point or surface, like diverging rays of light. Lexicurio rates it Distinctive — a strength score of 65 out of 100.nounThe shooting forth of anything from a point or surface, like diverging rays of light.“The radiation of love from the crowd was addictive to the young singer-songwriters.”The process of radiating waves or particles.The transfer of energy via radiation.Radioactive energy.“It's Christmas at ground zero / And if the radiation level's OK / I'll go out with you / To see all the new / Mutations on New Year's Day”A rapid diversification of an ancestral species into many new forms.“So the question is: have plants and animals retained over this huge amount of time—whole radiations of mammals have come and gone in this period—have they retained these potentially costly characteristics?”