eclaircissement

/eɪˌklɛə(ɹ)siːsˈmɒ̃n/

Etymology

From French éclaircissement, from éclaircir (“to enlighten, to clarify”).

Why this word is great

ÉCLAIRCISSEMENT — [Noun] A sudden or illuminating clarification of something previously obscure or misunderstood. From French éclaircissement, from éclaircir ("to enlighten, to clarify"), derived from é- (intensive prefix) + clair ("clear") + -cir (verbal suffix). Unlike "elucidation" (which proceeds methodically) or "exposition" (which unfolds systematically), éclaircissement is the sudden parting of clouds—a moment of clarity that arrives unbidden. It is the way sunlight strikes a dusty attic corner to reveal a forgotten portrait, the way a single sentence in a dense text snaps meaning into place, or the way a friend’s offhand remark untangles a years-old misunderstanding. The world is full of obscurities; éclaircissement is the rare gift of seeing through them.

noun

An explanation of something obscure or unknown; clarification, enlightenment.“One of the heroes discovered, in the prize he had made, the very wife of his bosom; and his companion perceived that he had stumbled in the dark upon his own mother. Their mutual astonishment was unspeakable at this eclaircissement […].”