lumineuses

Lumineuses is the feminine plural form of the French adjective lumineux, meaning bright or luminous. It is used to describe feminine nouns that emit or reflect light, or that appear very bright. In everyday French, it appears in phrases such as étoiles lumineuses (bright stars), fenêtres lumineuses (bright windows), and paysages lumineux (a luminous landscape).

Etymology and grammar: Lumineux derives from the Latin lumen, meaning light. The feminine singular is lumineuse, and the plural feminine form is lumineuses. As with other adjectives, its position is typically after the noun in modern French, though it can appear before the noun in certain literary or emphatic constructions.

Usage and examples: Lumineuses is most commonly encountered as an adjective agreeing with feminine nouns. It frequently appears in travel, nature, and design writing to convey brightness or radiance. In scientific or technical French, the term is less common; more precise expressions such as sources lumineuses (light sources) or surface lumineuse (luminous surface) are preferred when describing physical phenomena.

In literature and media, lumineuses can carry a slightly poetic or atmospheric nuance, describing scenes, eyes, or moods that glow with light or inner radiance. While the word itself is standard, its use tends to be descriptive rather than technical.

See also: Luminosité, lumière, sources lumineuses, luminescence.

Note: In scientific contexts, phrases like sources lumineuses or objets lumineux are typically used rather than simply lumineuses, to emphasize the gender-appropriate agreement with the noun.