irradiate

Meaning

Adj

1. (literary, poetic) Made brilliant or bright; irradiated, illuminated.
2. (figuratively, literary, poetic) Made splendid or wonderful.

Verb

1. (literary, poetic, transitive) To send out (heat, light, or some other form of radiation) in the form of rays; to radiate.
2. (literary, often, poetic, transitive) To make (someone or something) bright by shining light on them or it; to brighten, to illuminate.
3. (literary, poetic, transitive) To apply radiation other than visible light to (someone or something).
4. (literary, poetic, transitive) To apply radiation other than visible light to (someone or something).
5. (figuratively, literary, often, poetic, transitive) To animate or enliven (one's mood, or soul or spirit).
6. (figuratively, literary, often, poetic, transitive) To cause (one's face) to look beautiful, happy, or lively; to light up.
7. (figuratively, literary, often, poetic, transitive) To decorate (a place) splendidly.
8. (figuratively, literary, often, poetic, transitive) To enlighten (someone, their mind, etc.) intellectually or spiritually; to illuminate, to shed light on.
9. (figuratively, literary, often, poetic, transitive) To send out (something) as if in the form of rays; to diffuse, to radiate, to shed.
10. (figuratively, literary, obsolete, poetic, transitive) To influence (something) as if with rays of heat, light, etc.
11. (intransitive, literary, often, poetic) To become bright; to brighten, to light up.
12. (intransitive, literary, often, poetic) Often followed by on or upon: to emit rays of light; to shine.
13. (figuratively, intransitive, literary, often, poetic) To emit something other than light; to radiate.
14. (intransitive, literary, obsolete, often, poetic) To diverge or be sent out in the form of rays.

Synonyms

ray

illuminate

shine

radiate

enlighten

light up

treat with rays

emit

illume

illumine

brighten

give out

glisten

glitter

beacon

glowing

light

scintillate

set on fire

shining

shine on

shine upon

cause to shine

glow

beam

bright

candle

🕯️

clean

clear

elucidate

eradiate

exemplify

flat

give off

Translations

irradiare

irradiar

bestralen

strahlen

verlichten

aydınlatmak

bestrahlen

illuminer

irradiar

illuminare

irradier

radiar

ακτινοβολώ

anstrahlen

leuchten

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ɪˈɹeɪdɪeɪt/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: irradiate

Inherited from Middle English: -at

In summary

From Middle English irradiate (“illuminated, shining”), borrowed from Medieval Latin irradiātus, perfect passive participle of irradiō, from ir- (“against; into; on, upon”) + radiō (“to cause to radiate, irradiate; to emit beams, radiate”), from radius (“ray of light; rod, staff; spoke of a wheel”) + -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix) (further etymology uncertain; possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *reh₁t- (“beam; pole; post”)). The adjective is attested earlier than the verb.
The English word is analysable as in- (“against; into; on, upon”) + radiate.