neon
n. uncountablen. a gas that glows with a bright, colorful light when electricity passes through it. You often see it used in glowing signs for shops and restaurants.
n. a colorless, odorless noble gas that emits a distinctive reddish-orange glow when used in a high-voltage discharge tube. Often used metonymically to refer to any luminous gas-discharge tube used in advertising or art.
The neon sign glows brightly in the window.
The city streets were bathed in the pink and blue light of neon signs from the local bars.
While true neon produces a red light, other noble gases and fluorescent coatings are used to create the full spectrum of colors seen in commercial displays.
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek νέον (néon), neuter of νέος (néos, “new”), from earlier νέϝος (néwos), from Proto-Hellenic newos, from Proto-Indo-European néwos. By surface analysis, neo- + -on (suffix used in all noble gases).
Uncountable when referring to the chemical element; countable when referring to specific lights or signs in a collective sense.