Definition of "luminary" []

• An object, such as a celestial body, that gives light. (noun)
• A person who is an inspiration to others. (noun)
• A person who has achieved eminence in a specific field. See Synonyms at celebrity. (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.

• ""Sir, Mr. Fletcher was a luminary -- _a luminary_, did I say?"
• "But on the fourth day God created the great luminary, that is, the sun, to have rule and authority [1718] over the day: for it is by it that day is made: for it is day when the sun is above the earth, and the duration of a day is the course of the sun over the earth from its rising till its setting."
• "The luminary was a golden-haired, beaming, mild-eyed, God-like creature, gazing down in the vigour and intentness of youth upon an earth that was brimming with interest for him."