lumen

noun

lu·​men ˈlü-mən How to pronounce lumen (audio)
plural lumens also lumina ˈlü-mə-nə How to pronounce lumen (audio)
1
: the cavity of a tubular organ or part
the lumen of a blood vessel
2
: the bore of a tube (as of a hollow needle or catheter)
3
: a unit of luminous flux equal to the light emitted in a unit solid angle by a uniform point source of one candle intensity
luminal adjective
or less commonly lumenal

Did you know?

There are two common units for measuring light, the candela and the lumen. Both are recognized as standard international units, which also include the second (for time), the kilogram (for weight), and the meter (for length). The candela is a measure of intensity; an ordinary candle gives off light with the intensity of about one candela. The lumen is a measure of "luminous flux;" a standard 100-watt lightbulb gives off 1500–1700 lumens. Luminous flux indicates how much light is actually perceived by the human eye. Technologies vary in how efficiently they turn electricity into light; halogen lights produce about 12 lumens per watt, ordinary incandescent lightbulbs produce about 15 lumens per watt, and compact fluorescent bulbs produce about 50 lumens per watt.

Examples of lumen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The lamp features 300 lumens with a maximum beam distance of 32 feet. Jamie Spain, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2024 That’s up from 1,800 ISO lumens for the original Xgimi Aura, which should improve the Aura 2’s performance when used in rooms where ambient light can’t be completely eliminated. Andrew Liszewski, The Verge, 6 Sep. 2024 The laser light source puts out 1,000 lumens of color/white brightness. Paul Ridden, New Atlas, 19 Sep. 2024 Most models will have between 100 and 1,000 ANSI lumens. Bestreviews, The Mercury News, 18 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for lumen 

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin lūmin-, lūmen "light, source of light, opening to let in light, aperture of any kind," going back to *lou̯k-s-men, earlier *leu̯k-s-men, from Indo-European *leu̯k- "become bright" + a concretizing suffix *-s-men — more at light entry 1

First Known Use

1873, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of lumen was in 1873

Dictionary Entries Near lumen

Cite this Entry

“Lumen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lumen. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

lumen

noun
lu·​men ˈlü-mən How to pronounce lumen (audio)
plural lumens also lumina -mə-nə How to pronounce lumen (audio)
: a unit of light quantity equal to the light on a unit surface all points of which are at a unit distance from a point source of light having a strength of one candle

Medical Definition

lumen

noun
lu·​men ˈlü-mən How to pronounce lumen (audio)
plural lumina -mə-nə How to pronounce lumen (audio) or lumens
1
: the cavity of a tubular organ or part
the lumen of a blood vessel
2
: the bore of a tube (as of a hollow needle or catheter)
3
: a unit of luminous flux equal to the light emitted in a steradian by a uniform point source of one candle intensity

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