coruscate

verb

cor·​us·​cate ˈkȯr-ə-ˌskāt 

ˈkär-

coruscated; coruscating

intransitive verb

1

: to give off or reflect light in bright beams or flashes : sparkle

2

: to be brilliant or showy in technique or style

Did you know?

"You're a shining star / No matter who you are." So sang the band Earth, Wind & Fire on their 1975 hit "Shining Star," which is not only a coruscating gem of funk and soul but one that serves as a handy (and catchy) way to remember the dual uses of the verb coruscate. This formal-sounding synonym of sparkle comes from the Latin verb coruscare, meaning "to flash." Originally, coruscate was used only literally, applied when things—such as, well, shining stars—glitter or gleam, as when Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote in his 1852 short story about a scarecrow, "Feathertop," that "the star kept coruscating on Feathertop's breast…." Eventually, coruscate gained figurative use, applying to those human shining stars who may be said to have a "coruscating wit" or "coruscating brilliance," or to things (such as satires, performances, or prose) that are metaphorically brilliant.

Synonyms

• flame
• flash
• glance
• gleam
• glimmer
• glint
• glisten
• glister
• glitter
• luster
• lustre
• scintillate
• shimmer
• spangle
• sparkle
• twinkle
• wink
• winkle

Examples of coruscate in a Sentence

a classic car from the 1950s, replete with yards of coruscating chrome

Recent Examples on the Web

All articles that coruscate with resplendence are not, ipso facto, auriferous. —Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Oct. 2021

Brazil had been in coruscating form up to that point, so few expected them to falter. —SI.com, 5 June 2018

In February the group dropped Slag (Aerophonic), a live recording of a coruscating performance at London’s Café Oto in 2015. —Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader, 22 Sep. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Latin coruscatus, past participle of coruscare to flash

First Known Use

1705, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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