coruscate

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 1, 2011 is: coruscate • \KOR-uh-skayt\  • verb 1 : to give off or reflect light in bright beams or flashes : sparkle 2 : to be brilliant or showy in technique or style Examples: The astronomy students observed the coruscating stars through a high-powered telescope. "Down below the Sea of Galilee gleamed, coruscated, in the setting biblical sun." -- From Justin Cartwright's 2011 book Other People's Money Did you know? To help you gain a flash of recognition next time you see "coruscate" (or to prompt you when you need a brilliant synonym for "sparkle"), remember this bit of bright imagery by George Bernard Shaw, describing a centuries-old abbey: "O'er this north door a trace still lingers / Of how a Gothic craftsman's fingers / Could make stones creep like ivy stems / And tilings coruscate like gems." Or you could just remember that "coruscate" developed from Latin "coruscare," which means "to flash." That word also gave us the noun "coruscation" ("glitter" or "sparkle") and the adjective "coruscant" ("shining" or "glittering"). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.