Hypertext Webster Gateway: "luminary"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Luminary \Lu"mi*na*ry\, n.; pl. {Luminaries}, [F. luminaire, L.
luminare a light or lamp, which was lighted in the churches,
a luminary, fr. lumen, luminis, light, fr. lucere to be
light, to shine, lux, lucis, light. See {Light}.]
1. Any body that gives light, especially one of the heavenly
bodies. `` Radiant luminary.'' --Skelton.
Where the great luminary . . . Dispenses light from
far. --Milton.
2. One who illustrates any subject, or enlightens mankind;
as, Newton was a distinguished luminary.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
luminary
n : a celebrity who is an inspiration to others; "he was host to
a large gathering of luminaries" [syn: {leading light}, {guiding
light}, {notable}, {notability}]
Additional Hypertext Webster Gateway Lookup
Gateway by dict@stokkie.net
stock only wrote the gateway and does not have any control over the contents;
see the Webster Gateway FAQ,
and also the Back-end/database links and credits.