Producing light through biological processes; glowing with living light created by chemical reactions within an organism. The magical ability of creatures to make their own illumination.
A modern word built from Greek bios (life) plus Latin lumen (light) and -escent (becoming). Coined in the 20th century when scientists finally understood how fireflies, jellyfish, and deep-sea creatures create their own light through biochemical magic — luciferin reacting with oxygen to paint the darkness with living stars.
Try Another Word