Definition of "incandescence" [in•can•des•cence]

• The emission of visible light by a hot object. (noun)
• The light emitted by an incandescent object. (noun)
• A high degree of emotion, intensity, or brilliance. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "If the column of metal intended for hydrogenation of the products of incandescence is raised to a temperature of more than 300°C, then a proportion of the aromatic hydrocarbons is retained and the liquid obtained is analogous to Galician petroleum."
• "The great current density in the coiled-coil filament with much heat development results in bright incandescence, that is to say in the generation of visible light."
• "-- When referring to methods of obtaining artificial light by means of processes involving combustion or oxidation, the term "incandescence" is usually limited to those forms of burner in which some extraneous substance, such as a "mantle," is raised to a brilliant white heat."