Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The act of exposing or the condition of being exposed to radiation.
  • noun The use or application of ionizing radiation, especially in medical treatment and for the sterilization or preservation of food.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The act of irradiating or emitting beams of light; illumination; brightness emitted; enlightenment.
  • noun In physics, the phenomenon of the apparent enlargement of an object strongly illuminated, when seen against a dark ground.
  • noun In neurology, the diffusion of a nervous impulse to parts outside the normal path of conduction.
  • noun In therapeutics, subjection to the influence of X-rays or other form of radioactivity.
  • noun In anatomy, the disposition of fibrous or other structures in stellate form.
  • noun In chem., exposure to radiant light: as, some substances are said to phosphoresce by irradiation.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Act of irradiating, or state of being irradiated.
  • noun Illumination; irradiance; brilliancy.
  • noun Fig.: Mental light or illumination.
  • noun (Opt.) 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, esp. when a little out of focus.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An act of irradiating, or state of being irradiated.
  • noun obsolete illumination; irradiance; brilliance.
  • noun obsolete figurative: mental light or illumination.
  • noun 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.
  • noun uncountable a process of sterilisation whereby radiation is passed through a bag containing food, utensils, etc., to sterilise the contents.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun (physiology) the spread of sensory neural impulses in the cortex
  • noun (medicine) the treatment of disease (especially cancer) by exposure to a radioactive substance
  • noun a column of light (as from a beacon)
  • noun the condition of being exposed to radiation
  • noun the apparent enlargement of a bright object when viewed against a dark background
  • noun (Pavolvian conditioning) the elicitation of a conditioned response by stimulation similar but not identical to the original stimulus

Etymologies

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Examples

  • The problem is largely that the term "irradiation" sounds like what might have happened to Blinky, the three-eyed fish that Bart Simpson caught downstream from the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant in a 1990 "Simpsons" TV episode.

    Europe's Organic Food Scare 2011

  • The problem is largely that the term "irradiation" sounds like what might have happened to Blinky, the three-eyed fish that Bart Simpson caught downstream from the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant in a 1990 "Simpsons" TV episode.

    Europe's Organic Food Scare 2011

  • If the irradiation is too strong, however, it may give rise to tissue damage, but this may to some extent be prevented by pigmentation of the skin as in the negro or in those much exposed to the sun.

    Niels Ryberg Finsen - Biography 1967

  • The effect of irradiation is absolutely universal, mutations appear after irradiation within all organisms, from simple viruses and bacteria up to the most highly organized plants and mammals.

    Physiology or Medicine 1946 - Presentation Speech 1964

  • One is through irradiation, which is not widely used.

    CNN Transcript Oct 12, 2009 2009

  • I next set out to determine as precisely as possible how far the factor of fusion, or what Parrish has called irradiation, enters into the judgments.

    Harvard Psychological Studies, Volume 1 Containing Sixteen Experimental Investigations from the Harvard Psychological Laboratory. Various 1889

  • This effect is due to irradiation, that is to say, to the glare from a bright surface, giving a deceptive enlargement to its apparent area.

    Young Folks' Library, Volume XI (of 20) Wonders of Earth, Sea and Sky Various 1880

  • Wenonah Hauter, the executive director of Food & Water Watch - which calls irradiation "a gross failure" - told me it was "expensive and impractical, a band-aid on the real problems with our food system."

    Boing Boing Maggie Koerth-Baker 2011

  • Beth Volpe, 60, of Hammond, is one of the women fortunate enough to qualify for and be told about partial breast irradiation, which is great news not only for her but the two sisters, daughter and five granddaughters who have genes in common with her.

    unknown title 2009

  • Beth Volpe, 60, of Hammond, is one of the women fortunate enough to qualify for and be told about partial breast irradiation, which is great news not only for her but the two sisters, daughter and five granddaughters who have genes in common with her.

    unknown title 2009

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