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Luminary - 4 dictionary results

lu⋅mi⋅nar⋅y

[loo-muh-ner-ee] noun, plural -nar⋅ies, adjective
–noun
1. a celestial body, as the sun or moon.
2. a body, object, etc., that gives light.
3. a person who has attained eminence in his or her field or is an inspiration to others: one of the luminaries in the field of medical science.
–adjective
4. of, pertaining to, or characterized by light.

Origin:
1400–50; late ME luminarye < ML lūmināria lamp. See luminaria
lu·mi·nar·y   (lōō'mə-něr'ē)   
n.   pl. lu·mi·nar·ies
  1. An object, such as a celestial body, that gives light.
  2. A person who is an inspiration to others.
  3. A person who has achieved eminence in a specific field. See Synonyms at celebrity.

[Middle English, from Old French luminarie, from Latin lūmināre, to shine, from lūmen, lūmin-, light; see leuk- in Indo-European roots.]
lu'mi·nar'y adj.

Luminary

Lu"mi*na*ry\, n.; pl. Luminaries, [F. luminaire, L. luminare a light or lamp, which was lighted in the churches, a luminary, fr. lumen, luminis, light, fr. lucere to be light, to shine, lux, lucis, light. See Light.]

1. Any body that gives light, especially one of the heavenly bodies. " Radiant luminary." --Skelton.

Where the great luminary . . . Dispenses light from far. --Milton.

2. One who illustrates any subject, or enlightens mankind; as, Newton was a distinguished luminary.

luminary 
c.1450, "source of (artificial) light," from M.Fr. luminarie "lamp, light," from L.L. luminare "light, torch, lamp, heavenly body," lit. "that which gives light," from L. lumen (gen. luminis) "light." Sense of "notable person" is first recorded 1692. Luminescence is from 1896. Luminosity in astronomy sense of "intrinsic brightness of a heavenly body" (as distinguished from apparent magnitude, which diminishes with distance), is attested from 1906.
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