iridesce means To be iridescent; to exhibit iridescence. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why this word is great
IRIDESCE — [Verb] To exhibit iridescence; to shine with a play of rainbow-like colors. Back-formation from iridescent, which derives from Latin iris (genitive iridis, "rainbow") + -escent (suffix indicating a state or process). Unlike "glisten" (which implies a soft, steady shine, often from wetness) or "gleam" (which suggests a bright, focused flash), to iridesce is to shimmer with spectral mutability. It is the oil slick on asphalt fracturing light into stolen hues, the hummingbird’s throat flickering between emerald and amethyst as it turns, the mother-of-pearl gleam of a mussel shell half-buried in wet sand—a fleeting reminder that color is not inherent in objects, but borrowed from the angle of our gaze.
verb
- To be iridescent; to exhibit iridescence.