IRRADIATION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does irradiation mean? 

• IRRADIATION (noun)
  The noun IRRADIATION has 6 senses:

1. the condition of being exposed to radiation

2. a column of light (as from a beacon)

3. (physiology) the spread of sensory neural impulses in the cortex

4. the apparent enlargement of a bright object when viewed against a dark background

5. (Pavolvian conditioning) the elicitation of a conditioned response by stimulation similar but not identical to the original stimulus

6. (medicine) the treatment of disease (especially cancer) by exposure to a radioactive substance

  Familiarity information: IRRADIATION used as a noun is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• IRRADIATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The condition of being exposed to radiation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("irradiation" is a kind of...):

condition; status (a state at a particular time)

Derivation:

irradiate (expose to radiation)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A column of light (as from a beacon)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Synonyms:

beam; beam of light; irradiation; light beam; ray; ray of light; shaft; shaft of light

Hypernyms ("irradiation" is a kind of...):

light; visible light; visible radiation ((physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "irradiation"):

heat ray (a ray that produces a thermal effect)

high beam (the beam of a car's headlights that provides distant illumination)

moon-ray; moon ray; moonbeam (a ray of moonlight)

sunbeam; sunray (a ray of sunlight)

laser beam (a beam of light generated by a laser)

low beam (the beam of a car's headlights that provides illumination for a short distance)

Derivation:

irradiate (cast rays of light upon)

Sense 3

Meaning:

(physiology) the spread of sensory neural impulses in the cortex

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Hypernyms ("irradiation" is a kind of...):

spread; spreading (process or result of distributing or extending over a wide expanse of space)

Domain category:

physiology (the branch of the biological sciences dealing with the functioning of organisms)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The apparent enlargement of a bright object when viewed against a dark background

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("irradiation" is a kind of...):

illusion; semblance (an erroneous mental representation)

Sense 5

Meaning:

(Pavolvian conditioning) the elicitation of a conditioned response by stimulation similar but not identical to the original stimulus

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("irradiation" is a kind of...):

generalisation; generalization; stimulus generalisation; stimulus generalization ((psychology) transfer of a response learned to one stimulus to a similar stimulus)

Sense 6

Meaning:

(medicine) the treatment of disease (especially cancer) by exposure to a radioactive substance

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

actinotherapy; irradiation; radiation; radiation therapy; radiotherapy

Hypernyms ("irradiation" is a kind of...):

therapy ((medicine) the act of caring for someone (as by medication or remedial training etc.))

Domain category:

medical specialty; medicine (the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "irradiation"):

phototherapy (the use of strong light to treat acne or hyperbilirubinemia of the newborn)

Curietherapy; radium therapy (the use of radium in radiation therapy)

X-ray therapy (the therapeutic use of X rays)

 Context examples 

Systemic irradiation uses a radioactive substance, such as a radiolabeled monoclonal antibody, that travels in the blood to tissues throughout the body.

(Irradiation, NCI Dictionary)

It may be caused by physical or chemical irritants, irradiation, infection, or neoplastic processes.

(Hyperkeratosis, NCI Thesaurus)

Concept refers to a number of techniques and procedures including extracorporeal photopheresis, ultraviolet blood irradiation and extracorporeal detoxification methods with drug administration, etc.

(Extracorporeal Circulation Route of Administration, NCI Thesaurus)

Virus integrated within host genome but inactive; may be reactivated by stress such as ultraviolet irradiation.

(Latent Virus, NCI Thesaurus)

With a half-life of 17 days, palladium 103 administered with brachytherapy allows continuous, tumor-site specific low-energy irradiation to the tumor cell population while sparing normal adjacent tissues from radiotoxicity.

(Palladium Pd-103, NCI Thesaurus)

Partial-breast irradiation may be given using internal or external sources of radiation.

(Partial-breast irradiation, NCI Dictionary)

MammoSite is a type of intracavitary brachytherapy and partial breast irradiation therapy (PBRT).

(Balloon Brachytherapy, NCI Dictionary)

Balloon catheter radiation is a type of intracavitary brachytherapy and partial breast irradiation therapy (PBRT).

(Balloon catheter radiation, NCI Dictionary)

The planets' orbital periods range from five-and-a-half to 24 days, and two of them may experience irradiation levels from their star comparable to those on Earth.

(Kepler Confirms 100+ Exoplanets During Its K2 Mission, NASA)

Despite this proximity, Ross 128 b receives only 1.38 times more irradiation than the Earth.

(Closest Temperate World Orbiting Quiet Star Discovered, ESO)