luminary Hear it!

luminary definition

lu·mi·nary (lo̵̅o̅′mə ner′ē)

noun pl. luminaries -·nar′·ies

  1. a body that gives off light, such as the sun or moon
    1. a person who sheds light on some subject or enlightens mankind; famous intellectual
    2. any famous or well-known person

Etymology: OFr luminarie < LL(Ec) luminarium < L luminare: see illuminate

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.