lustrous means having a glow or lustre. It carries an Arena rating of 1565, earned across 4 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, lustrous ranks #1,195 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #3,658 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #3,853 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #5,108 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words.
lustrous is pronounced /ˈlʌ.stɹəs/.
Why “lustrous” is a great word
Having a soft, radiant sheen or glow; shining. From the noun luster (or lustre), meaning 'a shine or radiance,' which is from Latin *lustrare* ('to brighten, illuminate'), from the Proto-Indo-European root *leuk-* ('light, brightness'). Unlike "dazzling" (which implies a brilliance so intense it may be temporarily blinding) or "burnished" (which denotes a shine achieved through polishing), "lustrous" describes an inherent, gentle radiance. It is the inner gleam of a pearl in shadow, the warm sheen of old mahogany by firelight, the quiet shimmer of silk catching candlelight—a beauty that does not shout its presence but simply, and reliably, is, lingering for those who look closely.
Etymology
From lustre + -ous.
adj
- Having a glow or lustre.e.g.“Why it hath bay windows transparent as barricadoes, and the clearstores toward the south north are as lustrous as ebony; and yet complainest thou of obstruction?” — c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[wa
- As if shining with a brilliant light; radiant.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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