1. An eminent or famous person: The hall was crowded with luminaries who wanted to applaud Grace, their colleague, for the fine work she had done to help students understand the magic and wonder of words.

Many luminaries were attending the opening of the opera season.

2. An object, especially a celestial body, that emits effulgence: John, the astronomer, discovered a new luminary, a bright star in the Southern Hemisphere.

The sun is just one of the thousands of luminaries in the sky.

3. Etymology: from Late Latin luminare, "light, torch, lamp, heavenly body"; literally "that which gives light"; from Latin lumen, luminis, "light"; related to lucere, "to shine".

The sense of "a notable person" is first recorded in the 1690s, although the Middle English word also had a figurative sense of "a source of spiritual light, an example of holiness".

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Relating to or characterized by lambency or learning: The luminary effect of her university education helped prepare Olive for her work in public service.