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speed of light
[ speed uhv lahyt ]
noun
- Physics, Optics. a fundamental universal constant, the speed at which light and all forms of electromagnetic radiation travel in a vacuum, standardized as 186,282.4 miles per second (299,792,458 meters per second):
The speed of light, often represented by the letter c, figures prominently in modern physics, as in Einstein’s famous equation E = mc2, which expresses the relation between mass (m) and energy (E).
- an extremely fast rate:
They gobbled those appetizers up at the speed of light.
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Word History and Origins
Origin of speed of light1
First recorded in 1820–25
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