luminance

[ loo-muh-nuh ns ]
/ ˈlu mə nəns /

noun

the state or quality of being luminous.
Also called luminosity. the quality or condition of radiating or reflecting light: the blinding luminance of the sun.
Optics. the quantitative measure of brightness of a light source or an illuminated surface, equal to luminous flux per unit solid angle emitted per unit projected area of the source or surface.

Origin of luminance

1875–80; < Latin lūmin- (stem of lūmen) light + -ance

Example sentences from the Web for luminance

  • The remainder of the big room receded into a grey twilight encircling the patch of luminance.

    The Lamp of Fate |Margaret Pedler
  • A luminance seemed to come from above, from the unseen heights of the magnificent double staircase.

  • A few fluoros cast wan puddles of luminance on the plastic flooring.

    The Sensitive Man |Poul William Anderson

British Dictionary definitions for luminance

luminance
/ (ˈluːmɪnəns) /

noun

a state or quality of radiating or reflecting light
a measure (in candelas per square metre) of the brightness of a point on a surface that is radiating or reflecting light. It is the luminous intensity in a given direction of a small element of surface area divided by the orthogonal projection of this area onto a plane at right angles to the direction Symbol: L

Word Origin for luminance

C19: from Latin lūmen light

Scientific definitions for luminance

luminance
[ lōōmə-nəns ]

The luminous intensity of a light source per unit area. Occasionally the lambert unit is used to measure luminance. Also called photometric brightness