spectra

Noun

spectrum (plural spectra or spectrums)

1. A range; a continuous, infinite, one-dimensional set, possibly bounded by extremes.
   • Near-synonyms: sliding scale, continuum

   Synonyms:

   sliding scale, continuum

2. Specifically, a range of colours representing light (electromagnetic radiation) of contiguous frequencies; hence electromagnetic spectrum, visible spectrum, ultraviolet spectrum, etc.
   • Current 3G technologies can send roughly 1 bit of data - a one or a zero - per second over each 1 Hz of spectrum that the operator owns.2010 October 30, Jim Giles, “Jammed!”, in New Scientist
3. (usually) The autism spectrum.
   • He punctuated his words with a look into my eyes that might have been read as threatening or menacing by anyone who was not on the spectrum. But I am on the spectrum, and so I stared back at him.2022, Percival Everett, Dr. No, Influx Press (2023), page 110
4. A set of frequencies that are used for radio-frequency communication; not necessarily a continuous range.
5. The pattern of absorption or emission of radiation produced by a substance when subjected to energy (radiation, heat, electricity, etc.).
6. The set of eigenvalues of a matrix.

   Synonyms:

   eigenspectrum

See all 10 meanings of spectrum