noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A sensation of lights induced by mechanical, electrical, or magnetic stimulation (rather than optical) of the retina or visual cortex, or by random firing of cells in the visual system.

Etymology

From French phosphène, from Ancient Greek φῶς (phôs, “light”) + φαίνω (phaínō, “to appear, shine”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.