irradiation

  1. Noun.  An act of irradiating, or state of being irradiated.
  2. Noun.  (obsolete) illumination; irradiance; brilliance.
  3. Noun.  (obsolete) fig.: mental light or illumination.
  4. Noun.  (obsolete) the apparent enlargement of a bright object seen upon a dark ground, due to the fact that the portions of the retina around the image are stimulated by the intense light; as when a dark spot on a white ground appears smaller, or a white spot on a dark ground larger, than it really is, especially when a little out of focus.
  5. Noun.  (uncountable) a process of sterilisation whereby radiation is passed through a bag containing food, utensils, etc., to sterilise the contents.

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This entry was last updated on RefTopia from its source on 3/20/2012.