| fluorescent lamp n. A lamp that produces visible light by fluorescence, especially a glass tube whose inner wall is coated with a material that fluoresces when an electrical current causes a vapor within the tube to discharge electrons. |   |
fluorescent lamp
n
1. (Engineering / Electrical Engineering) a type of lamp in which an electrical gas discharge is maintained in a tube with a thin layer of phosphor on its inside surface. The gas, which is often mercury vapour, emits ultraviolet radiation causing the phosphor to fluoresce
2. (Engineering / Electrical Engineering) a type of lamp in which an electrical discharge is maintained in a tube containing a gas such as neon, mercury vapour, or sodium vapour at low pressure. Gas atoms in the discharge are struck by electrons and fluoresce
fluorescent lamp (fl -r s  nt) An electric lamp that produces light through fluorescence. In most fluorescent lamps, a mixture of argon and mercury gas contained in a glass bulb is stimulated by an electric current, producing ultraviolet rays. These rays strike a fluorescent phosphor coating on the interior surface of the bulb, causing it to emit visible light. Fluorescent lamps are much more efficient than incandescent lamps because very little energy is lost as heat. Compare incandescent lamp. |  |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  fluorescent lamp - lamp consisting of a tube coated on the inside with a fluorescent material; mercury vapor in the tube emits ultraviolet radiation that is converted to visible radiation by the fluorescent materiallamp - an artificial source of visible illumination |
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