Illuminating

Illuminating is the present participle of illuminate, meaning to cause light to be seen or to make something brighter. It can also describe something that provides insight or explanation, as in an illuminating discussion. In art history, illuminating refers to the decorative practice of embellishing manuscripts with gold, bright colors, and illustrations, sometimes called illumination, not the physical act of lighting.

In lighting engineering, illumination describes the amount and distribution of light that reaches a surface. Key concepts include illuminance, measured in lux (lumen per square meter), and luminous intensity or luminance, measured in candela or nits, depending on context. Lighting design seeks adequate, comfortable, and energy-efficient illumination, considering factors such as brightness, glare, color temperature, and color rendering index. Illumination can be natural, from daylight, or artificial, from bulbs, LEDs, or other fixtures, and is characterized by spatial distribution and spectral composition.

In everyday language, "illuminating" is used metaphorically to signify clarification or education, as in an illuminating explanation that makes a subject clearer.

Summary: The term spans physical lighting, artistic practice, and metaphorical use to denote bringing light—literal or figurative—into a space, a work, or a mind.