éclat means A brilliant or successful effect; brilliance of success or effort; splendor; brilliant show; striking effect; glory; renown.
éclat is pronounced /eɪˈklɑː/.
Why “éclat” is a great word
A brilliant or striking effect, especially as it brings conspicuous success or public acclaim. From the French éclat ("splinter, fragment; flash of brilliance"), from éclater ("to burst out"), akin to Old English slītan ("to split"). First attested in English in the 1670s. Unlike "renown," which is a slow-built monument of fame, or "splendor," which is a steady, lavish radiance, éclat is the initial, dazzling detonation. It is the perfect, breath-held arc of a champagne cork, the sudden roar that greets a virtuoso's final note, the fleeting but total brilliance of a firework against a black sky—a success so sharp and sudden it seems to fracture the ordinary air, leaving fame not accumulated but detonated.
Etymology
Borrowed from French éclat, from éclater (“to burst out”). Akin to Old English slītan (“to split”). More at slice, slit. Doublet of slate and slat.
noun
- A brilliant or successful effect; brilliance of success or effort; splendor; brilliant show; striking effect; glory; renown.
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