irradiation

Etymology

From Middle French irradiacion, from Latin irradiatio Morphologically irradiate + -ion

noun

1. An act of irradiating, or state of being irradiated.
2. (obsolete) illumination; irradiance; brilliance.
3. (obsolete, figurative) mental light or illumination.
4. (obsolete) The apparent enlargement of a bright object seen upon a dark ground, due to the fact that the portions of the retina around the image are stimulated by the intense light; as when a dark spot on a white ground appears smaller, or a white spot on a dark ground larger, than it really is, especially when a little out of focus.
5. (uncountable) a process of sterilization whereby radiation is passed through a bag containing food, utensils, etc., to sterilize the contents.