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ultraviolet

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Etymology and origin of the English word ultraviolet

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1840 J. F. W. Herschel, Philosophical Transactions
Ultimate origin
Latin ultrā,viola
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English violet
English ultraviolet

Pronunciation

  • /ˌʌltɹəˈvaɪələt/, /ˌʌltɹəˈvaɪlət/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English ultra- (“beyond”) + violet,[2][3][4][5][6] literally "beyond the violet", that is, outside the violet end of the visible spectrum.[7][2] The prefix is from Latin ultrā (“beyond”);[2][7] violet came through Old French violete from viola (“violet”).[2] Dictionary.com compares infrared,[6] which in 1870 was also called ultra-red.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lying beyond the violet end of the visible spectrum, said of radiation: 1840, in a paper by J. F. W. Herschel in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.[3][2][5]

Semantic evolution

The word was first an adjective describing invisible rays beyond the violet.[3][2] As a noun, "the ultraviolet part of the spectrum", it is recorded from 1887, with near and far ultraviolet for the parts close to and distant from visible light.[3] In the 20th century it came to describe things that produce or use such radiation, such as lamps and filters (1934), and things sensitive to it (1940).[3][4]

Timeline

  • 1840 – adjective, beyond the violet end of the visible spectrum.[3][2][5]
  • 1887 – noun, the ultraviolet part of the spectrum.[3]
  • 1934 – involving, producing or using ultraviolet radiation.[3]
  • 1940 – sensitive to ultraviolet radiation.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of radiation, having a wavelength shorter than that of visible violet light but longer than that of X-rays.[5][8][4]
  2. Producing, using or relating to such radiation: an ultraviolet lamp for curing the glue.[5][3]

Noun

  1. Ultraviolet radiation, or the part of the spectrum where it lies.[5][8][3]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  8. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Ultraviolet.” Etymologically, 31 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/ultraviolet. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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