spectral line

noun, Optics.
1.
a line in a spectrum due to the absorption or emission of light at a discrete frequency.
Origin
1865-70
Examples from the web for spectral line
  • Increasing temperature will increase the width of a spectral line but won't increase the intensity.
  • The element was named after the beautiful green spectral line, which identified the element.
  • The wavelength and spectral line width selections shall be based on both the transmitter and the receiver design.
  • The diagram below shows the characteristic spectral line patterns of four elements.
spectral line in Science
spectral line
  (spěk'trəl)   
An isolated bright or dark line in a spectrograph produced by emission or absorption of light of a single wavelength, generally corresponding to a specific shift in the energy of an electron moving from one orbital to another.