Word of the Day
: September 1, 2011coruscate
playWhat It Means
1 : to give off or reflect light in bright beams or flashes : sparkle
2 : to be brilliant or showy in technique or style
coruscate in Context
The astronomy students observed the coruscating stars through a high-powered telescope.
"Down below the Sea of Galilee gleamed, coruscated, in the setting biblical sun." -- From Justin Cartwright's 2011 book Other People's Money
Did You Know?
To help you gain a flash of recognition next time you see "coruscate" (or to prompt you when you need a brilliant synonym for "sparkle"), remember this bit of bright imagery by George Bernard Shaw, describing a centuries-old abbey: "O'er this north door a trace still lingers / Of how a Gothic craftsman's fingers / Could make stones creep like ivy stems / And tilings coruscate like gems." Or you could just remember that "coruscate" developed from Latin "coruscare," which means "to flash." That word also gave us the noun "coruscation" ("glitter" or "sparkle") and the adjective "coruscant" ("shining" or "glittering").
Name That Synonym
Fill in the blanks to create a synonym of "coruscate": sitla_e. The answer is ...
More Words of the Day
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May 02
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May 01
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Apr 30
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Apr 29
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Apr 28
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Apr 27
decimate