infrared light

Meanings

1. 1noununcountabletechnical

   Light with wavelengths longer than red light, which humans cannot see but feel as heat.

   Grammar: Uncountable: say 'infrared light', not 'an infrared light' when talking about the radiation itself.

   Patterns

   • emit infrared light
   • detect infrared light
   • infrared light from something

   Remote controls work by sending pulses of infrared light to the TV.

   The satellite camera captures infrared light to map the temperature of the ocean.

   At night, snakes can sense the infrared light given off by warm-blooded prey.

2. 2nouncountabletechnical

   A device or lamp that produces infrared radiation, often used for heating or imaging.

   Grammar: Countable when it means a physical lamp or device: 'an infrared light'.

   Patterns

   • turn on an infrared light
   • an infrared light for something

   The physiotherapist used an infrared light to warm the patient's sore muscles.

   Security cameras often have built-in infrared lights for night vision.

Common combinations

infrared light waves

Infrared light waves are longer than visible red light.

emit infrared light

Warm objects like the human body emit infrared light.

infrared light source

The lab used an infrared light source to test the sensor.

block infrared light

Some sunglasses block infrared light as well as UV rays.

Synonyms and how they differ

infrared radiation

The scientific term for the same energy; it is more formal and often used in physics.

IR

Abbreviation used in technical contexts, e.g. 'IR sensor'.

Opposites

Word family

infrared adjective

Describes something related to this type of light, e.g. 'infrared camera'.

ultraviolet adjective

Relating to light with shorter wavelengths than visible light; often contrasted with infrared.

Commonly confused: infrared light or ultraviolet light?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “infrared light”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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