Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A rare, inert gaseous element occurring in the atmosphere to the extent of 18 parts per million and obtained by fractional distillation of liquid air. It is colorless but glows reddish orange in an electric discharge and is used in lasers, as a cryogen, and in cathode-ray tubes and other display devices. Atomic number 10; atomic weight 20.180; melting point −248.59°C; boiling point −246.08°C. cross-reference: Periodic Table.
  • noun Electric signage made with neon lights.
  • noun An extremely bright shade of a color.
  • noun A neon tetra.
  • adjective Of, relating to, or containing neon.
  • adjective Of or relating to a form of lighting used especially on advertising signs and consisting of glass tubes filled with neon or other gases that emit colored light when subjected to an electric current.
  • adjective Extremely bright or vivid; fluorescent.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun An elementary substance occurring in gaseous form in the earth's atmosphere: atomic weight, 20.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun uncountable The chemical element (symbol Ne) with an atomic number of 10.
  • noun countable A form or sample of the element.
  • noun uncountable neon signs, collectively.
  • noun countable a neon tetra fish
  • adjective Extremely bright; fluorescent.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a colorless odorless gaseous element that give a red glow in a vacuum tube; one of the six inert gasses; occurs in the air in small amounts

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From Greek, neuter of neos, new; see newo- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek νέον, neuter of νέος ("new").

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Examples

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  • Ne.

    Can be spelled with the Periodic Table of Elements symbols: NeON

    December 12, 2006