Radiances

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The various types of emitted light or brightness from a source
2. The different forms of luminous energy that can be observed emanating from objects
3. Diverse manifestations of light or illumination perceived as glowing or shining

Etymology: "Radiances" is simply the plural of "radiance," and the plural is one of the few places where the word's inherited structure shows. The noun is built from "radiant" plus the suffix "-ance," a combination that English uses to turn adjectives into nouns of state or quality, as in "brilliance" and "elegance." Here the adjective "radiant" carries the image of light shining outward from a source, so a radiance is, at root, the quality of something radiating light. The suffix itself has a long pedigree. It descends through Old French "-ance," which grew from Latin "-antia," and that Latin ending was built on the present-participle suffix "-ant" plus a noun-forming element. English took up the pattern widely in the Middle English period, adding "-ance" to many verb and adjective stems, and "radiance" is one of the products of that productive habit.

Synonyms: brightness, glow, luminosity, radiation, shine

Antonyms: darkness, dullness, dimness, shadow, gloom