irradiate

English

Etymology

Latin irradiatus

Pronunciation

• (verb) IPA^(key): /ɪˈɹeɪdieɪt/

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• (adjective) IPA^(key): /ɪˈɹeɪdiət/

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Verb

irradiate (third-person singular simple present irradiates, present participle irradiating, simple past and past participle irradiated)

1. (transitive, literary, poetic) To illuminate; to brighten; to shine light on.
   • c. late 18th century Sir W. Jones, Hymn to Lachsmi

     Thy smile irradiates yon blue fields.

   • 1879, Jami, “Sáláman and Absál. Preliminary Invocation.”, in [Edward FitzGerald], transl., Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, the Astronomer-Poet of Persia; and The Salámán and Ábsál of Jámí; […], 4th edition, London: Bernard Quaritch; […], →OCLC, page 51:

     Oh Thou, whose Spirit through this universe / In which Thou dost involve thyself diffused, / Shall so perchance irradiate human clay / That men, suddenly dazzled, lose themselves / In ecstacy^{[sic – meaning ecstasy]} before a mortal shrine / Whose Light is but a Shade of the Divine; […]

2. (transitive, literary, poetic) To enlighten intellectually; to illuminate.

   This book might irradiate your mind

   • a. 1740 Bishop George Bull, A discourse concerning the spirit of God in the faithful

     And indeed we ought, in these happy intervals, when our understandings are thus irradiated and enlightened, to make a judgment of the state and condition of our souls in the sight of God […]

   • 1838, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Duty and Inclination, volume II, London: Henry Colburn, page 227:

     Nevertheless, she seemed to him so new to life, so truly a child—a reason, doubtless, more urgent to uphold and lend her his protection: the ray of humanity irradiating her features—the exclamation that burst from her, upon his first arousing from the torpor of insensibility, whilst extended in his narrow hammock on ship-board, had ever since left impressions of gratitude on his memory.

3. (transitive, literary, poetic) To animate by heat or light.
   • a. 1676 (written, first published in 1817) , Matthew Hale, A letter of advice to his grandchildren, Matthew, Gabriel, Anne, Mary, and Frances Hale.

     you may subdue and conquer the temperament of your nature, to do all things well-pleasing to him, and that may irradiate and strengthen your souls

4. (transitive, literary, poetic) To radiate, shed, or diffuse.
   • 1876–1877, Henry James, Jr., chapter III, in The American, Boston, Mass.: James R[ipley] Osgood and Company, […], published 5 May 1877, →OCLC, pages 56–57:

     [H]is ideal of grandeur was a splendid façade, diffusing its brilliancy outward too, irradiating hospitality.

5. (transitive, literary, poetic) To decorate with shining ornaments.
6. (intransitive) To emit rays; to shine.
7. (sciences) To apply radiation to.
   1. (medicine) To treat (a tumour or cancerous growth) with radiation.
   2. (transitive) To treat (food) with ionizing radiation in order to destroy bacteria.

Derived terms

• X-irradiate

Translations

to apply radiation to

• Finnish: sädettää (fi)
• Persian: پرتو زدن‎ (partow zadan)
• Polish: napromieniowywać impf, napromieniować pf
• Swedish: bestråla (sv)

Adjective

irradiate

1. Illuminated; irradiated; made brilliant or splendid.
   • 1801, Robert Southey, “(please specify the page)”, in Thalaba the Destroyer, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: […] [F]or T[homas] N[orton] Longman and O[wen] Rees, […], by Biggs and Cottle, […], →OCLC:

     The co-existent Flame
     Knew the Destroyer; it encircled him,
     Roll’d up his robe, and gathered round his head,
     Condensing to intenser splendour there,
     His Crown of Glory, and his Light of Life,
     Hovered the irradiate wreath.

Related terms

• irradiance
• irradiancy
• irradiant
• irradiation
• irradiative

References

• “irradiate”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “irradiate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Italian

Etymology 1

Verb

irradiate

1. inflection of irradiare:
   1. second-person plural present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person plural imperative

Etymology 2

Participle

irradiate f pl

1. feminine plural of irradiato

Anagrams

• arridiate, idraterai, reidratai, riardiate

Spanish

Verb

irradiate

1. second-person singular voseo imperative of irradiar combined with te