luminary
English · Thesaurus
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luminary
- /ˈluːmɪn(ə)ɹi/ UK
- /ˈluməˌnɛɹi/ Canada, US
- /ˈlʉːmɪn(ə)ɹi/ Australia
- /ˈlʉːmən(ə)ɹi/ New Zealand
Where it comes from
From Late Middle English lūminārī, lūminārīe (“lamp; source of spiritual light, example of holiness; glory”), borrowed from Old French luminarie (“lamp, lights, lighting; candles; brightness, illumination”), variant of luminaire (“light fixture”) (modern French luminaire), from Medieval Latin lūminārium, from lūmināre (“that which gives light; light; lamp; body giving light, especially a heavenly body”), from lūmen (“light; brightness”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewk- (“bright; to shine”)) + -āris (suffix forming adjectives indicating a relationship or a pertaining to). Doublet of luminaire.
noun luminaries
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One who is an inspiration to others; one who has achieved success in one's chosen field; a leading light.
For more than a decade, forces on the ideological extremes have torn at the global political fabric. And for just as long, the luminaries at the World Economic Forum have fretted about how dangerous that phenomenon is — for the businesses they lead and the countries they govern.
Similar: guiding light
- A body that gives light; especially, one of the heavenly bodies. […] then firſt adornd / With thir bright Luminaries that Set and Roſe, / Glad Evening & glad Morn crownd the fourth day.
- An artificial light; an illumination. [T]he Sun of Righteouſneſs [Jesus Christ], when, on the nations of thoſe who are ſaved, he ariſes with healing under his wings, ſhall ſcatter by his brightneſs, every cloud which ſat around them. To the diſtant influence of this powerful luminary on the heart, its regeneration is at preſent owing. B
Translations
Talk about this word "luminary." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/luminary. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. luminary. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/luminary "luminary." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/luminary.Cite this
@misc{luminary_2026,
title = {luminary},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/luminary},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
