coruscation
/ˌkɒɹəsˈkeɪʃən/
coruscation means A sudden display of brilliance; a flashing of light; a sparkle. It carries an Arena rating of 1960, earned across 117 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, coruscation ranks #381 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #385 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #615 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #1,843 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words.
coruscation is pronounced /ˌkɒɹəsˈkeɪʃən/.
Why “coruscation” is a great word
CORUSCATION — [Noun] A sudden flash or glittering display of light, or a brilliant, sparkling manifestation of wit or intellect. From the Latin coruscātiōnem, accusative of coruscātiō ("a glittering, flashing"), from coruscāre ("to vibrate, glitter, flash"). First recorded in English use in the late 15th century. Unlike “glitter,” which suggests a steady, superficial shimmer, or “illumination,” which denotes a broad, clarifying light, coruscation is a swift and dazzling fracture in the atmosphere. It is the single, sharp strike of lightning in a leaden sky; it is the instantaneous, blinding glint off a turning blade; it is the sudden, perfect riposte that silences a crowded room—a brilliant, ephemeral proof that darkness and dullness are not continuous, but only waiting to be pierced.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin coruscātiōnem, coruscātiō (“glitter, flash”).
noun
- A sudden display of brilliance; a flashing of light; a sparkle.e.g.“[I]n the dusky galleries, duskier with unwashed heads, is a strange 'coruscation,'—of impromptu billhooks.” — 1837, Thomas Carlyle, The French Revolution: A History […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Chapman and Hall, →OCLC, (please specify the book or page number):
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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