ˈlümənəs adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin luminosus full of light, from lumin-, lumen light + -osus -ose — more at luminary
1.
a. : emitting or seeming to emit a steady suffused light that is reflected or produced from within
the sole elements of the cosmos would seem to be luminous objects — the nebula, the stars, the planets — Lincoln La Paz
he had recourse to the luminous dial of his watch — Elizabeth Bowen
his eyes were luminous … they blazed like mortal stars — Elinor Wylie
there was his face, serene, luminous , often smiling — A.N.Whitehead
b. : bright and shining : clear , translucent
feeling for luminous effect that her early landscapes show — F.E.Hyslop
every note in her huge range is perfect, luminous , and golden — Robert Evett
few foresaw the luminous future of the young man — C.G.Bowers
c. : yellow, flaring, and illuminating
such a flame is also luminous — R.H.Wright
2. : bathed in or exposed to steady light : illuminated
shed a faintly luminous glow upon the upturned still face — Djuna Barnes
stretched out on their backs lazily inviting the luminous American weather — Thomas Wolfe
gazing up into the foliage … luminous with the bright sunlight — W.H.Hudson †1922
3.
a. : enlightened and intelligent : edifying and inspiring
full of luminous ideas of statesmanship — Samuel Alexander
her own fine and luminous genius — J.P.Bishop
the luminous moment when men's imaginations see alike — Lillian Smith
the splendor of a profound and luminous intellect — Gertrude Atherton
b. : very easily understood : clearly intelligible
convert the new situation from the obscure into the clear and luminous — John Dewey
his prose is simple and luminous … and his text is based on wide reading — Howard M. Jones
Synonyms: see bright