Wintry Mix: All Aglow: Light Lingo

Something brilliant is either shining brightly or bright in another way, like a super-smart observation.

This word is often used in a figurative sense. In the 1831 book The Life of Sir Isaac Newton, David Brewster described folks, “…whose minds are shut against the effulgent evidence which sustains the strongholds of our faith.” A word with a similar sound and meaning is refulgent. Both light-describing terms have Latin roots.

This is an adjective best known for appearing in “The Star Spangled Banner”: “Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light, / What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?” This definition — steady but subdued shining — fits perfectly with twilight, when the sun is going down and far from its brightest. You could say the sun is beaming at its height in the afternoon, but by dusk, it’s gleaming.

To illuminate is to shine a light, and something that brings such light is illuminating. When something is illuminated, it's lit up like a Christmas tree. In fact, it's probably lit up even more: this word tends to apply to bright, clear, powerful light. Like so many light words, this one has other meanings: you can illuminate someone intellectually or spiritually. An example from an 1899 historical dictionary demonstrated this meaning: "I cannot imagine a teacher more gifted to lead, encourage,

This ancient word, derived from Latin, is synonymous with light, but especially bright light. A night sky full of star is luminous: so is a movie full of famous actors.

Another Latin borrowing, pellucid is a synonym for transparent, and, like that word, it's been used in plenty of figurative ways. You can describe a clear argument as pellucid, but you can also describe an obvious point as pellucid. Sometimes this term has been applied to musical tones that are particularly pure and clear.

This word almost defines itself: something radiant sends out rays of light. You can also use this word figuratively. Anyone who is especially happy can be called radiant. A terrific smile is often described as radiant. This word is full of light, life, and energy.

This is one of many words from the vocabulary of literal light that started shining in other corners of the lexicon. Resplendent, first found in English in the 1400s, first referred to things that are shining sharply. But over time, people started describing resplendent things that may not have been literally bright or luminous, such as a peacock's resplendent plumage or the resplendent sounds of a choir. Whether describing light or other stuff, resplendent has on its high beams.

If something is translucent, at least in its original meaning, light passes through it: for example, windows are translucent. But over time, the meaning of translucent has evolved a bit, meaning that light can pass through, but not perfectly. Think of a tinted window, water, or anything that allows the passage of light but doesn't let you to see through completely. Translucent materials give a skewed, unclear view of what's on the other side.