luminol

See also: Luminol

English

Etymology

First use appears c. 1934 in a paper by E. Huntress, L. Stanley, and A. Parker. The verbal use first appears c. 1997, although the exact date of its first appearance is uncertain.

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈljuːmɪnɒl/
(General American) enPR: lo͞o'm(ĭ)nŏl, IPA^(key): /ˈluːmɪnɒl/

Noun

luminol (countable and uncountable, plural luminols)

(organic chemistry) The compound 5-amino-2,3-dihydro-1,4-phthalazinedione that exhibits blue chemiluminescence when mixed with an appropriate oxidizing agent.
- 2006 September 23, Jill P. Capuzzo, “Teaching Inspector Clouseau to Be Sherlock Holmes”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:
  The board was fully supportive, Mr. McDevitt said, even when Mr. Wheeler needed to buy a gallon of cow’s blood and a supply of luminol, a blood-detection chemical.

Verb

luminol (third-person singular simple present luminols, present participle luminoling, simple past and past participle luminoled)

(transitive, criminology, law enforcement) To test or subject a sample or an individual to a luminol agent in order to locate traces of blood.
- 1997, United States. Court of Military Appeals, West Publishing Company (contributors), West's Military Justice Reporter‎^[2], volume 46, page 860:
  Luminoling of material can establish unequivocally that no blood is present.
- 1997, Patricia Springer, Flesh and Blood, page 105:
  For two nights Patterson, Frosch, and Nabors Luminoled the house, checking and re-checking the evidence they found.
- 2000, Jonathan Kellerman, Dr. Death, An Alex Delaware Novel, page 314:
  Perhaps the auto warrant had gone through and the vehicle was being raked and combed and vacuumed and luminoled in some forensic garage.
- 2004, John Lutz, Darker Than Night, page 13:
  The crime scene unit was all over the apartment, photographing, luminoling, vacuuming, plucking with tweezers.
- 2004, Mike Flaherty, Corinne Marrinan, Anthony E. Zuiker, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Companion, page 201:
  Lester brings the hard-shelled golf bag in and Grissom luminols the interior of the case. The whole case fluouresces briefly then immediately fades, indicating the insides were bleached.
- 2007, Ridley Pearson, Killer Weekend, page 201:
  "You may not find it," McClure said. He answered Walt's puzzled expression by explaining," We luminoled her." He picked up a tube light from a workstation. "Get the lights," he said.
- 2021, Antoinette van Heugten, Saving Max:
  He sighs. "The cops luminoled everyone at the hospital right after they got there. They all came out clean as a whistle."
- 2023, John Ferak, Wrecking Crew: Demolishing The Case Against Steven Avery:
  The Dassey garage was never luminoled or checked for forensic evidence of any type; blood found between the Dassey garage and residence was never tested.
- 2024, Rebecca Makkai, I Have Some Questions for You, A Novel, page 183:
  The State Police come in later and find this stuff, but you know where they don't find any blood is in Omar Evans's office. They luminoled that whole place, and nothing.