Spectrographically

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a manner relating to the analysis or examination of matter using a spectrograph to separate and record electromagnetic radiation
2. By the method of using a spectrograph to study the wavelengths and intensities of light or other radiation emitted or absorbed by a substance
3. According to the techniques and procedures of spectrographic analysis, which involves recording the spectrum of a material or object

Etymology: "Spectrographically" is an adverb built from "spectrographic" plus the suffix "-ally," which forms adverbs from adjectives ending in "-ic." The adjective "spectrographic" in turn comes from "spectrograph," the name for an instrument that records a spectrum, combined with the adjective-forming suffix "-ic." So the word unpacks as "spectro-" (from the Latin "spectrum," meaning an image or appearance, and the root of "spectre" and "spectacle"), plus "-graph" (from Greek "graphein," to write or record), plus "-ic" and "-ally." Taken together, the parts describe the action: something done by recording a spectrum, meaning the bands of colour or wavelengths a substance gives off or absorbs when light passes through or is emitted from it. The word therefore describes analysing something by means of that instrument, as in a sample examined spectrographically.

Synonyms: spectroscopically