splendor means great light, luster or brilliance. It carries an Arena rating of 1649, earned across 5 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, splendor ranks #1,494 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words, #1,790 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #2,328 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #4,209 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say.
splendor is pronounced /ˈsplɛndə/.
Why “splendor” is a great word
Magnificent and impressive beauty or brilliance, especially as displayed in appearance, grandeur, or glory. From Anglo-Norman splendur, splendour, from Latin splendor, from the verb splendēre ("to shine"), first attested in English in the early 15th century. Unlike "grandeur" (which emphasizes imposing size and solemn dignity) or "glory" (which denotes high renown earned by achievement), splendor is the inherent, radiant quality of the thing itself. It is the molten core of sunset catching a gilded dome, the deep, resonant crimson of a velvet curtain in candlelight, or the sudden hush of snowfall at midnight when every surface becomes a mirror—beauty not as argument, but as self-sufficient fact, shining because it must.
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman splendur, splendour, or directly from its source Latin splendor, from the verb splendeō (“to shine”).
noun
- Great light, luster or brilliance.
- Magnificent appearance, display or grandeur.e.g.“The splendor of the Queen's coronation was without comparison.”
- Great fame or glory.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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