I. -nt adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin radiant-, radians, present participle of radiare to emit rays, radiate — more at radiate
1.
a. : radiating rays of light : emitting or reflecting beams of light
b. : radiating or diffusing splendor, glory, or a similar quality : vividly bright and shining : glowing , brilliant
radiant as a double dawn in sky and water — Elinor Wylie
his hands are radiant with rings — diamonds and sapphires — Truman Capote
the fields … were radiant with early summer — Nancy Hale
the radiant images of religion and of art as well as of science — Havelock Ellis
2. : rayonnant 1
3. : marked by or expressive of joy, pleasure, love, confidence, or happiness : seeming to radiate some quality especially good
radiant , like a schoolboy who has received an unexpectedly large tip — Christopher Isherwood
one of the most radiant lyrics in the language — W.Y.Tindall
gray eyes full of a radiant curiosity — Scott Fitzgerald
radiant with idealism — V.L.Parrington
4.
a. : emitted or transmitted by radiation
b. : emitting or relating to radiant heat
radiant lamp
a radiant type radiator
a radiant baseboard
5. : of or relating to a biological radiant or biological radiation
Synonyms: see bright
II. noun
( -s )
: something that radiates: as
a. : the point in the heavens at which the visible paths of meteors appear to meet when traced backward or whence they appear to radiate although in reality the paths of the meteors are parallel
b. : a straight line proceeding from a given point or fixed pole about which it is conceived to revolve
c. : a point or object from which light emanates
d. : the part of a gas or electric heater that becomes incandescent and emits radiant heat
e. : an organism or group of organisms (as a species) that has reached its present geographical location as the result of a dispersal from a primary place of origin — compare radiation