† noctilucousadj.
Obsolete.
Luminescent at night or in the dark; nocturnally phosphorescent.
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the world > matter > light > light emitted under particular conditions > [adjective] > phosphorescent
night-shining1598
noctilucous1680
noctilucal1682
noctilucent1691
phosphorous1717
self-luminous1751
phosphorescent1767
phosphoric1771
phosphoreous1776
phosphor1790
phosphorescing1794
phosphoretic1794
phosphorent1819
1680 R. Boyle App. Aerial Noctiluca 1 Till more Noctilucous Matter could be prepared.
1774 T. Pennant Tour Scotl. 1772 II. Voy. Hebrides 345 Myriads of noctilucous Nereids that inhabit the ocean..and..give a fine light.
1832 W. Macgillivray Trav. & Researches A. von Humboldt xi. 131 The thorny bushes covered with noctilucous insects.
1870 Punchinello 30 July 277/1 Although it [sc. the mosquito] cannot be called Noctilucous, like the lightning bug, it has no objection to alight in the darkness.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online June 2018).
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adj.1680