spectral line
noun
: one of a series of linear images formed by a spectrograph or similar instrument and corresponding to a narrow portion of the spectrum of the radiation emitted or absorbed by a particular source
Examples of spectral line in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The width of certain spectral lines—fingerprints of the light emitted during flares—has long been wider than expected based on standard temperature assumptions.
—
Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Astronomers confirmed almost 200 spectral lines, each containing information about the nebula’s swirling concoction of atoms and molecules.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2025
Vibrational signals unlock secrets Remarkably, the presence of even a single dye molecule on the surface caused dramatic changes in the spectral line shape.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 11 Aug. 2025
The strength of the spectral line for water-ice at the inner edge of the debris disk, 80 to 90 astronomical units (meaning 80 to 90 times Earth's distance from the sun), suggests water-ice makes up just 0.1% of the total mass in that part of the disk.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 19 May 2025
By relating the spectral lines to the temperatures and abundances of elements in stars, Payne-Gaposchkin refined and explained temperature estimates for the different classifications of stars, for which her colleague Cannon had laid the foundation.
—Elizabeth Landau, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Mar. 2025
Tuning the coil manually to measure each new NQR spectral line would be a difficult and time-consuming process.
—IEEE Spectrum, 21 Aug. 2019
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Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
Astronomers confirmed almost 200 spectral lines, each containing information about the nebula’s swirling concoction of atoms and molecules.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2025
Vibrational signals unlock secrets Remarkably, the presence of even a single dye molecule on the surface caused dramatic changes in the spectral line shape.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 11 Aug. 2025
The strength of the spectral line for water-ice at the inner edge of the debris disk, 80 to 90 astronomical units (meaning 80 to 90 times Earth's distance from the sun), suggests water-ice makes up just 0.1% of the total mass in that part of the disk.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 19 May 2025
By relating the spectral lines to the temperatures and abundances of elements in stars, Payne-Gaposchkin refined and explained temperature estimates for the different classifications of stars, for which her colleague Cannon had laid the foundation.
—Elizabeth Landau, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Mar. 2025
Tuning the coil manually to measure each new NQR spectral line would be a difficult and time-consuming process.
—IEEE Spectrum, 21 Aug. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Spectral line.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spectral%20line. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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