spectrum
noun
[ ˈspɛktrəm ]
• a band of colours, as seen in a rainbow, produced by separation of the components of light by their different degrees of refraction according to wavelength.
• used to classify something in terms of its position on a scale between two extreme points.
• "the left or the right of the political spectrum"
Origin:
early 17th century (in the sense ‘spectre’): from Latin, literally ‘image, apparition’, from specere ‘to look’.
on the spectrum
• diagnosed with or having the characteristics of an autistic spectrum disorder.
