Spectrum

noun (plural: spectra, also spectrums)

/ˈspɛktrəm/

The band of colours produced when white light is dispersed by a prism or diffraction grating, arranged by wavelength from violet to red.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

Far from being a binary contest between the state and the market, India's development debate occupies a broad spectrum of positions, ranging from welfarist redistribution at one pole to laissez-faire reform at the other, and prudent policy must accommodate this plurality rather than collapse it.

Synonyms

rangegamutcontinuumsweepscalespan

Antonyms

pointsingularityuniformity

🌱 Word Family

spectra (n pl), spectral (adj), spectrometer (n), spectroscopy (n), spectroscopic (adj)

🔡 Root

Latin spectrum = image, apparition; Latin specere = to look at; -trum = instrumental noun suffix

📜 Etymology

From Latin spectrum ("image, apparition"), from specere ("to look at"); first used in an optical sense by Isaac Newton in 1671.

🧠 Memory Hook

Linked to "spectacles" and "inspect" — all from Latin specere "to look": a spectrum is the full sight you behold when light is spread out, hence the whole visible range of anything.

📝 Seen in UPSC Question Papers

Prelims 2020 — IT & Cyber

Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Spectrum” — proof this word earns its place on your list.

⚗️ General Science 📖 Seen in: Light, Optics & Electromagnetic Waves

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