brightness

English

Etymology

From Middle English bryghtnes, brightnesse, from Old English beorhtnes (“brightness, splendor”), equivalent to bright +‎ -ness.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɹaɪtnəs/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: bright‧ness

Noun

brightness (usually uncountable, plural brightnesses)

1. The quality of being bright.
   • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 5, in The Mirror and the Lamp:

     Here, in the transept and choir, where the service was being held, one was conscious every moment of an increasing brightness; colours glowing vividly beneath the circular chandeliers, and the rows of small lights on the choristers' desks flashed and sparkled in front of the boys' faces, deep linen collars, and red neckbands.

2. The perceived luminance of an object.
3. Intelligence, cleverness.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:intelligence

Translations

the quality of being bright

• Arabic: سُطُوع‎ m (suṭūʿ)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 明亮 (zh) (míngliàng)

• Dutch: glans (nl) m, helderheid (nl) f
• Finnish: kirkkaus (fi)
• French: brillance (fr)
• German: Helligkeit (de) f
• Greek: φωτεινότητα (el) f (foteinótita)

  Ancient: λαμπρότης f (lamprótēs), γάνος n (gános)

• Hebrew: בהירות‎ f (behirut)
• Hindi: चमक (hi) (camak)
• Irish: gléine f, lonracht f, spéiriúlacht f, gile (ga) f

• Japanese: 明るさ (ja) (あかるさ, akarusa)
• Latin: candor m
• Norwegian: glans m, lysstyrke m, klarhet (no) c, lyshet c
• Persian: درخشندگی‎ (fa) (deraxšandegi)
• Portuguese: claridade (pt) f, clareza (pt) f (figurative), brilho (pt)
• Quechua: phaqsa
• Russian: я́ркость (ru) f (járkostʹ)
• Spanish: brillo (es) m
• Tagalog: liwanag (tl)
• Telugu: వెలుగు (te) (velugu)
• Thai: ความสว่าง (kwaam-sà-wàang)
• Urdu: چمک‎ (camak)

the perception elicited by the luminance of an object

• French: luminosité (fr) f
• German: Helligkeit (de) f
• Greek: λάμψη (el) f (lámpsi)
• Irish: gléine f, gile (ga) f

• Latvian: spilgtums m, spožums m
• Russian: я́ркость (ru) f (járkostʹ)
• Tagalog: liwanag (tl)

intelligence, cleverness

• Finnish: älykkyys (fi)
• French: intelligence (fr)
• German: Aufgewecktheit f

• Greek: εξυπνάδα (el) f (exypnáda)
• Hebrew: תבונה‎ (he), אינטלגנציה‎
• Russian: смышлёность (ru) f (smyšljónostʹ), ум (ru) m (um)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} helo