| Incandescent | a. [ L. incandecens, -entis, p. pr. of incandescere to become warm or hot; pref. in- in + candescere to become of a glittering whiteness, to become red hot, incho. fr. candere to be of a glittering whiteness: cf. F. incandescent. See Candle. ] White, glowing, or luminous, with intense heat; as, incandescent carbon or platinum; hence, clear; shining; brilliant. [ 1913 Webster ] Holy Scripture become resplendent; or, as one might say, incandescent throughout. I. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]
Incandescent lamp,
Incandescent light,
Incandescent light bulb (Elec.), a kind of lamp in which the light is produced by a thin filament of conducting material, now usually tungsten, but originally carbon, contained in a vacuum or an atmosphere of inert gas within a glass bulb, and heated to incandescence by an electric current. It was inventerd by Thomas Edison, and was once called the Edison lamp; -- called also incandescence lamp, and glowlamp. This is one of the two most common sources of electric light, the other being the fluorescent light, fluorescent lamp or fluorescent bulb. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]
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| Incantation | n. [ L. incantatio, fr. incantare to chant a magic formula over one: cf. F. incantation. See Enchant. ] [ 1913 Webster ] 1. The act or process of using formulas sung or spoken, with occult ceremonies, for the purpose of raising spirits, producing enchantment, or affecting other magical results; enchantment. “Mysterious ceremony and incantation.” Burke. [ 1913 Webster ] 2. A formula of words used as above. [ 1913 Webster ] 3. The repetitive invoking of old sayings, or emitting a wordy discourse with little or no meaning, to avoid serious discussion; obfuscation; as, to defend one's views with empty incantations. [ PJC ] |
