Actinometry

/ˌæktɪˈnɒmɪtri/ noun

Definition

The science or practice of measuring the intensity of radiation, light, or solar energy using special instruments.

Etymology

From actino- (Greek aktis 'ray') + -metry (Greek -metria 'measurement'). Emerged as a scientific discipline in the 19th century.

Kelly Says

Actinometry was literally how humans learned to measure sunlight scientifically—before it, people just said the sun was 'hot' or 'bright,' but actinometry let them assign actual numbers to light energy!

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.