Standard Lemma guide

fluoresce

verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /fləˈɹɛs/
  • /flʊəˈɹɛs/
  • /flɔˈɹɛs/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛs
  • homophone: floresce
  • CMU ARPABET: F L UH2 R EH1 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: F L AO2 R EH1 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To emit electromagnetic radiation, especially visible light, when absorbing radiation of some other wavelength.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Topics: natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To cause to fluoresce; to make fluorescent.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

Of colours, to be very bright; to be so bright as to appear to radiate as a light source.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

exhibit or undergo fluorescence

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: glow

Narrower terms: scintillate

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bhel-der. Proto-Indo-European *bhlewH-der. Proto-Indo-European *bhluH-yé-ti? Latin fluō Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *-ōs Proto-Italic *-ōs Latin -or Latin fluorbor. English fluor Proto-Indo-European *-tósder. Ancient Greek -της (-tēs)der. Ancient Greek -ῑ́της (-ī́tēs)der. Latin -ītēsbor. French -iteder. English -ite English fluorite Middle Low German sparder. Old English spærstān Middle English sparston English sparstonebf. English spar blend English fluorspar Proto-Indo-European *-éh1ti Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti Proto-Indo-European *-éh1sḱeti Proto-Italic *-ēskō Latin -ēscō Latin -escensder. English -escence English fluorescencebf. English fluoresce Back-formation from fluorescence.

Across languages

Translations

5 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Esperanto: fluoreski — to emit light
  • German: fluoreszieren — to emit light
  • Portuguese: fluorescer — to emit light
  • Russian: флуоресци́ровать (fluorescírovatʹ) — to emit light
  • Swedish: fluorescera — to emit light