superluminal

English

Etymology

From super- +‎ luminal.

Adjective

superluminal (not comparable)

1. (astronomy, physics, fiction, fantasy) Faster than light; having a speed greater than light.
   • 1984, Edward Edelson, “Faster than light?”, in Popular Science, retrieved 20 November 2013, page 70:

     The first thing to understand about superluminal expansion is that it isn't visible to the unaided eye. The objects that appear to be moving faster than light are emitting radio waves, not visible light.

Synonyms

• FTL, superlumic, hyperlight
• supercausal (faster than the speed of causality)

Antonyms

• STL, subluminal, sublumic, sublight

Derived terms

• superluminal communication
• superluminality
• superluminally
• superluminal motion
• superluminal radio source

 

Related terms

• luminal
• subluminal

Translations

having a speed greater than light

• German: superluminar, überlichtschnell
• Greek: υπερφωτοταχικός m (yperfototachikós), υπερφωτοταχική f (yperfototachikí), υπερφωτοταχικό n (yperfototachikó), (unpreferred translation due to hyperphoton, hyperphotonic: υπερφωτονικός m (yperfotonikós), υπερφωτονική f (yperfotonikí), υπερφωτονικό n (yperfotonikó))
• Icelandic: ljósfrár m, yfir ljóshraða
• Russian: сверхсветовой (ru) (sverxsvetovoj)
• Serbo-Croatian: nadsvjetlosni

See also

• superluminous
• supersonic

Further reading

• faster-than-light on Wikipedia.Wikipedia