Why this word is great
OPALESCE — [Verb] To exhibit a play of colors like that of an opal. From opal (the iridescent gemstone) + -esce (a suffix indicating a process or state, from Latin -escere). Unlike "iridesce" (which suggests a broader spectrum of shifting colors) or "gleam" (which implies a steady, bright shine), "opalesce" evokes the milky, dreamlike shimmer unique to opals. It is the slow dance of light through a soap bubble’s film, the ghostly glow of a moonlit pearl, or the way a glass of water, struck by morning sun, suddenly holds the memory of a rainbow—soft, elusive, and always just beyond capture.