spectrum

spec-trum · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    [physics]The range of colors produced when white light is dispersed.

  2. 2.

    A complete range or scale.

  3. 3.

    [medicine]The range of organisms affected by an antibiotic.

Forms

plural: spectra

Related words

See also: rainbow, range, scale
Synonyms: range, scale, scope

Etymology

From Latin spectrum ("appearance, image"), from specere ("to look").