albedo \al-BEE-doh\,
noun:
1. the white, inner rind of a citrus fruit.
2. Astronomy. the ratio of the light reflected by a planet or satellite to that received by it.
3. Meteorology. such a ratio for any part of the earth's surface or atmosphere.
The taste of citrus fruits is created by a handful of substances, including citric acid (so named because it is typical of the family), sugars, and certain bitter phenolic compounds, which are usually concentrated in the albedo and peel.
-- Harold McGee, "On Food and Cooking," 2004
From deep space the rift had been visible only as a change in albedo, a dark scar slicing across the world.
-- Alastair Reynolds, "Absolution Gap," 2005
Albedo entered English in the 1850s. It comes from the Latin word albēdō meaning "whiteness."
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