English
illumination problem
From illumination + problem.
A compound of illumination + problem
Proto-Indo-European *lewk- ‘bright’
…
Latin lūminō ‘to illuminate’
Latin illūminō ‘to illuminate, light up, brighten’
Late Latin illūminātiō
Middle French illumination
English illumination
Ancient Greek βάλλω ‘to throw’
…
Ancient Greek πρόβλημα ‘anything thrown forward’
Latin problēma ‘problem’
Middle French probleme
Middle English probleme ‘a conundrum’
English problem
Today it means
noun A mathematical problem, asking whether a room with mirrored walls can always be illuminated by a single-point light source, allowing for repeated reflection of light off the mirrored walls. It was solved in 1958: there are such rooms that cannot be thus illuminated.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / illumination problem