1. The distribution of a characteristic of a physical system or phenomenon, especially: 2. The distribution of energy emitted by a radiant source, as by an incandescent body, arranged in order of wavelengths. 3. The distribution of atomic or subatomic particles in a system, as in a magnetically resolved molecular beam, arranged in order of masses. 4. A graphic or photographic representation of such a distribution. 5. A range of values of a quantity or set of related quantities. 6. the whole spectrum of 20th-century thought.
