Laser

How to spell laser

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce laser

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does laser mean?

1. nounA device that emits a narrow, intense beam of coherent light, used in cutting, measuring, surgery, and many other applications.

Laser in a sentence

• The surgeon used a laser to remove the small growth.

• A builder relied on a laser to mark a perfectly straight line across the floor.

Where does laser come from?

Language of origin: Other

The word laser is an acronym coined in 1960 from the phrase 'light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation', describing a device that produces an intense, narrow beam of coherent light. It was modelled directly on the slightly earlier term 'maser' (1955), which did the same job for microwaves rather than visible light, simply swapping the initial 'm' for 'l' to mark the shift from microwave to light. Because it began life as an acronym, every letter once stood for a real word, which is a useful reminder that the spelling is fixed and ordinary: l-a-s-e-r, with no doubling or silent letters. Within a few years the term had spread from physics laboratories into everyday English, helped along by science fiction and by the rapid arrival of laser technology in medicine, manufacturing, and entertainment. Today most speakers treat it as a plain noun and verb and have forgotten its acronym origins entirely.

How the word is built

• Acronym from l(ight) a(mplification by) s(timulated) e(mission of) r(adiation)