brightness

English

Alternative forms

• brightnesse (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English bryghtnes, brightnesse, from Old English beorhtnes (“brightness, splendor”), from Proto-West Germanic *berhtnassī, equivalent to bright +‎ -ness. Cognate with Old High German berahtnessī, berahtnessi (“brightness”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɹaɪtnəs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪtnəs
• Hyphenation: bright‧ness

Noun

brightness (usually uncountable, plural brightnesses)

1. The quality of being bright.
   • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter V, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

     Here, in the transept and choir, where the service was being held, one was conscious every moment of an increasing brightness; colours glowing vividly beneath the circular chandeliers, and the rows of small lights on the choristers' desks flashed and sparkled in front of the boys' faces, deep linen collars, and red neckbands.

2. The perceived luminance of an object.
3. (idiomatic, figurative) Intelligence, cleverness.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:intelligence

Derived terms

• apparent brightness
• intrinsic brightness

 

Translations

the quality of being bright

• Arabic: سُطُوع m (suṭūʕ)
• Armenian: պայծառություն (hy) (paycaṙutʻyun)
• Bengali: রৌশনী (bn) (rōuśoni)
• Bulgarian: блясък (bg) m (bljasǎk)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 明亮 (zh) (míngliàng)

• Czech: jas (cs) m inan, jasnost f, třpyt m
• Dutch: glans (nl) m, helderheid (nl) f
• Egyptian: (ḥḏḏwt f), (wbḫt f)
• Esperanto: heldenso, helodenso
• Finnish: hohto (fi), kirkkaus (fi), loisto (fi), välke (fi)
• French: brillance (fr)
• German: Funkeln (de) n, Glanz (de) m (reflected from a surface, hair, skin), Helligkeit (de) f, Strahlen (de) n
• Greek: φωτεινότητα (el) f (foteinótita)

  Ancient: γάνος n (gános), λαμπρότης f (lamprótēs)

• Hebrew: בהירות f (behirut)
• Hindi: चमक (hi) (camak)
• Irish: gile (ga) f, gléine f, lonracht f, spéiriúlacht f
• Japanese: 明るさ (ja) (あかるさ, akarusa)
• Latin: candor m
• Norwegian: glans m, klarhet (no) c, lyshet c, lysstyrke m
• Persian: درخشندگی (fa) (deraxšandegi)
• Portuguese: brilho (pt), claridade (pt) f, clareza (pt) f (figurative)
• Quechua: phaqsa
• Romanian: splendoare (ro) f, strălucire (ro) f
• Russian: блеск (ru) m (blesk) (brilliance, glitter), я́ркость (ru) f (járkostʹ), вспы́шка (ru) f (vspýška) (flash)
• Spanish: brillo (es) m
• Swedish: ljusstyrka (sv)
• Tagalog: liwanag (tl)
• Tausug: sinag
• Telugu: వెలుగు (te) (velugu)
• Thai: ความสว่าง (th) (kwaam-sà-wàang)
• Turkish: parlaklık (tr)
• Urdu: چمک (camak)
• Welsh: lleu m

perception elicited by the luminance of an object

• Armenian: պայծառություն (hy) (paycaṙutʻyun), լուսեղություն (hy) (luseġutʻyun)
• Bulgarian: я́ркост (bg) f (járkost)
• French: luminosité (fr) f
• German: Helligkeit (de) f
• Greek: λάμψη (el) f (lámpsi)
• Irish: gile (ga) f, gléine f
• Latvian: spilgtums m, spožums m
• Russian: я́ркость (ru) f (járkostʹ)
• Tagalog: liwanag (tl)
• Welsh: lleu m

intelligence, cleverness

• Armenian: լուսավոր (hy) (lusavor)
• Finnish: älykkyys (fi)
• French: intelligence (fr)
• German: Aufgewecktheit f
• Greek: εξυπνάδα (el) f (exypnáda)
• Hebrew: תבונה (he), אינטלגנציה
• Russian: смышлёность f (smyšljónostʹ), ум (ru) m (um)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} helo