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ultraviolet

American  
[uhl-truh-vahy-uh-lit] / ˌʌl trəˈvaɪ ə lɪt /

adjective

  1. beyond the violet in the spectrum, corresponding to light having wavelengths shorter than 4000 angstrom units.

  2. pertaining to, producing, or utilizing light having such wavelengths.

    an ultraviolet lamp.


noun

  1. ultraviolet radiation.

ultraviolet British  
/ ˌʌltrəˈvaɪəlɪt /

noun

  1. the part of the electromagnetic spectrum with wavelengths shorter than light but longer than X-rays; in the range 0.4 × 10 –6 and 1 × 10 –8 metres

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1.  UV.  of, relating to, or consisting of radiation lying in the ultraviolet

    ultraviolet radiation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
ultraviolet Scientific  
/ ŭl′trə-vīə-lĭt /
  1. Relating to electromagnetic radiation having frequencies higher than those of visible light but lower than those of x-rays, approximately 10 15 –10 16 hertz. Some animals, such as bees, are capable of seeing ultraviolet radiation invisible to the human eye.

  2. See more at electromagnetic spectrum


  1. Ultraviolet light or the ultraviolet part of the spectrum.

  2. See Note at infrared

Etymology

Origin of ultraviolet

First recorded in 1870–75; ultra- + violet

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Laboratory research has demonstrated that these compounds can form when icy dust grains containing methanol or blends of carbon dioxide and ammonia are exposed to ultraviolet light or gentle heating.

From Science Daily

A light source with a very tight wavelength, somewhere between ultraviolet light and X-rays, shines through a chip-shaped stencil and onto the silicon wafer.

From The Wall Street Journal

Extreme ultraviolet lithography machines, as they are known, shoot lasers into molten tin to create EUV light, which doesn’t exist naturally on earth.

From The Wall Street Journal

Around him were additional signs of disrepair: an X-ray examination board without a functioning backlight, and a dust-covered ultraviolet sterilization machine that hadn’t worked in months.

From Los Angeles Times

Swift was able to detect a faint ultraviolet glow that ground based telescopes cannot see because it operates above Earth's atmosphere, where this type of light is not blocked before reaching the surface.

From Science Daily