A vacant or only partially occupied set of many closely spaced electronic levels resulting from an array of a large number of atoms forming a system in which the electrons can move freely or nearly so. This term is usually used to describe the properties of metals and semiconductors.
See: bandgap energy, Fermi level, valence band
Source:
PAC, 1996, 68, 2223. 'Glossary of terms used in photochemistry (IUPAC Recommendations 1996)' on page 2233 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199668122223)