Why this word is great
LAMBENT — [Adjective] Glowing or flickering softly over a surface, or exhibiting a light, brilliant wit. From Latin lambēns ("licking"), present participle of lambō ("to lick, wash"), as if light were a tongue lapping gently at the edges of things. Unlike "incandescent" (which implies a fierce, heat-laden brilliance) or "scintillating" (which suggests sharp, staccato sparks), lambent is a quiet radiance, unhurried and cool. It is the way candlelight licks the curve of a porcelain cup, the glow of a firefly trapped in a child’s cupped hands, or the slow, amused flicker of intelligence behind a lover’s half-smile—light not as illumination, but as caress.