black light

noun

1. invisible infrared or ultraviolet light.

black light

noun

1. the invisible electromagnetic radiation in the ultraviolet and infrared regions of the spectrum

black light

1. Invisible ultraviolet radiation. Black light causes certain fluorescent materials to emit visible light.

Word History and Origins

Origin of black light¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Several months before his death in December 2021, Slim 400 described in an interview that he saw a “black light, or a dark cloud” after the 2019 shooting.

From Los Angeles Times

It used to be that you could put a black light at the edge of a cornfield at night and expect a bountiful harvest of moths the next morning.

From New York Times

When they shine a black light on the coral, organic compounds in the coral cause it to fluoresce.

From Science Daily

The camera lingers on their enraptured visages, allowing their furtive looks to bloom under the neon glow of a clubbing black light or the soft touch of the sun as they lounge in a park.

From New York Times

But not bright—instead a black light with a violet and white core.

From Literature