Etymologically
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ultraviolet

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 22:49. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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