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   spectrum

   /ˈspɛktrəm/

   noun

   • 1. a band of colours, as seen in a rainbow, produced by separation of the components of light by their different degrees of refraction according to wavelength.
   • ▪ the entire range of wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation.
   • ▪ a characteristic series of frequencies of electromagnetic radiation emitted or absorbed by a substance.
   • ▪ the components of a sound or other phenomenon arranged according to such characteristics as frequency, charge, and energy.
   • 2. used to classify something in terms of its position on a scale between two extreme points: "the left or the right of the political spectrum"
   • ▪ a wide range: "self-help books are covering a broader and broader spectrum"

   Word Origin early 17th century (in the sense ‘spectre’): from Latin, literally ‘image, apparition’, from specere ‘to look’.

   Scrabble Points: 14

   • S

     1

   • P

     3

   • E

     1

   • C

     3

   • T

     1

   • R

     1

   • U

     1

   • M

     3

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