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Where does the word "luminous" come from? It comes from Latin lumen, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "luminous" come from? It comes from Latin lumen, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).
Luminous’s story begins in Latin: lumen meant “light.” The root of 'illuminate' and 'luminary'. It reached English by 1400s as luminous. Settled as the English word for something giving off light. Today, luminous means giving off light, either self-generated or reflected.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient lumen "light", the root of 'illuminate' and 'luminary'.
- Stage 2 · English · 1400s luminous "giving off light, or full of light", settled as the English word for something giving off light.