Irradiation

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -eɪʃən

Origin

From Middle French irradiacion, from Latin irradiatio

Full definition of irradiation

Noun

1. An act of irradiating, or state of being irradiated.
2. (obsolete) illumination; irradiance; brilliance.
3. (obsolete) figurative: mental light or illumination.
4. (obsolete) the apparent enlargement of a bright object seen upon a dark ground, due to the fact that the portions of the retina around the image are stimulated by the intense light; as when a dark spot on a white ground appears smaller, or a white spot on a dark ground larger, than it really is, especially when a little out of focus.
5. (uncountable) a process of sterilisation whereby radiation is passed through a bag containing food, utensils, etc., to sterilise the contents.

Derived terms

• photoirradiation