Spectrographic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to or produced by spectrography, the technique of analyzing the spectrum of light or radiation emitted or absorbed by a substance
2. Of or pertaining to spectrography, the method of examining matter by breaking down its emitted or absorbed light into component wavelengths
3. Concerning spectrography, the analytical process that identifies materials by studying how they emit or absorb radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum

Etymology: Isaac Newton used "spectrum", Latin for "appearance" or "image", for the band of colours he produced by passing sunlight through a prism. The Latin word comes from "specere", "to look", which also gave English "spectre". The ghost and the rainbow share a root meaning something seen. The "-graph" ending comes from Greek "graphein", "to write" or "record", the same source as "-graphy" and "graphic". A spectrograph is an instrument that records a spectrum. "Spectrographic" adds the adjectival suffix "-ic" to that compound, so the word is built from spectrum, graph, and -ic.

Synonyms: spectroscopic