incandescent
Definitions
Glowing with light because of being heated to a high temperature.
白炽的，因受高温加热而发光的。
Extremely bright, brilliant, or passionate ('an incandescent performance').
光彩夺目的；激烈的（如 incandescent performance 极为出色的表演；incandescent with rage 怒火中烧）。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedHere in- is intensive, not the negative 'not.' in- + candēscere ('to become white-hot') + -escent (becoming) = 'becoming white-hot, glowing.' An incandescent bulb heats a wire until it literally glows white. The vivid sense ('incandescent with rage') keeps the heat metaphor: so intense it seems to glow.
Root cand still carries 12 more wordsWhy It Means This
Worth flagging the prefix: in- here is the intensifying in- (as in 'inflame'), not the negative in- ('incomplete'). So incandescent doesn't mean 'not glowing' — it means glowing intensely. This is the most literal cand word: a wire heated until white light pours out, which is exactly the root's original image.
Common Collocations
- 1.incandescent bulb白炽灯泡
- 2.incandescent light白炽灯光
- 3.incandescent with rage怒火中烧
- 4.incandescent performance光彩夺目的表演
Example Sentences
- 1.
Old incandescent bulbs waste most of their energy as heat.
- 2.
The filament glowed with an incandescent orange light.
- 3.
She was incandescent with rage when she heard the news.