spectrum

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A range; a continuous, infinite, one-dimensional set, possibly bounded by extremes.

   Near-synonyms: sliding scale, continuum

2. 2
   noun

   Specifically, a range of colours representing light (electromagnetic radiation) of contiguous frequencies; hence electromagnetic spectrum, visible spectrum, ultraviolet spectrum, etc.

   Current 3G technologies can send roughly 1 bit of data - a one or a zero - per second over each 1 Hz of spectrum that the operator owns.

3. 3
   noun

   The autism spectrum.

   He punctuated his words with a look into my eyes that might have been read as threatening or menacing by anyone who was not on the spectrum. But I am on the spectrum, and so I stared back at him.

4. 4
   noun

   a broad range of related objects or values or qualities or ideas or activities

5. 5
   noun

   an ordered array of the components of an emission or wave

6. 6
   noun

   The pattern of absorption or emission of radiation produced by a substance when subjected to energy (radiation, heat, electricity, etc.).

7. 7
   noun

   The set of eigenvalues of a matrix.

8. 8
   noun

   Of a bounded linear operator A, the set of scalar values λ such that the operator A—λI, where I denotes the identity operator, does not have a bounded inverse; intended as a generalisation of the linear algebra sense.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *speḱ- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *spéḱyeti Proto-Italic *spekjō Latin speciō Proto-Indo-European *-trom Proto-Italic *-trom Latin -trum Latin spectrumbor. English spectrum From Latin spectrum (“appearance, image, apparition”), from speciō (“look at, view”). Doublet of specter. See also scope.