Meaning & use
luminaires
Last updated
“luminaires” is a form of “luminaire”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nouncountabletechnical
A complete lighting unit, including the lamp, housing, and parts that hold and protect it.
Grammar: Countable: one luminaire, two luminaires. Often used in the plural when talking about several units.
Patterns
- a luminaire
- install luminaires
- LED luminaires
The electrician installed new luminaires in the hallway.
These LED luminaires use much less electricity than the old ones.
The ceiling luminaires were designed to spread light evenly across the room.
Word forms
| singular | luminaire |
|---|
Common combinations
- LED luminaires
- The office replaced its old lights with LED luminaires.
- ceiling luminaires
- The ceiling luminaires were too bright for the small room.
- install luminaires
- They will install luminaires along the corridor next week.
- outdoor luminaires
- Outdoor luminaires must be able to handle rain and wind.
Synonyms and how they differ
- light fixture
- This is the everyday term; luminaire is more technical and often used in specifications.
- light fitting
- This is common in British English and means roughly the same, but luminaire is the industry term.
Word family
Commonly confused: luminaires or luminous? luminaires or lamp?
luminaires vs luminous
Luminous is an adjective meaning bright or glowing; luminaire is a noun for the light unit itself.
luminaires vs lamp
A lamp is often just the bulb or a simple light; a luminaire is the whole fixture.
Practice
In which sentence is 'luminaires' used correctly?
Choose one answer.
Luminaires are complete lighting units, so a room lit by several on the ceiling makes sense. The other options confuse the word with stars, bulbs, or decorations.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “luminaires”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.