refulgence

noun

re·​ful·​gence ri-ˈfu̇l-jən(t)s 

-ˈfəl-

: a radiant or resplendent quality or state : brilliance

refulgent

ri-ˈfu̇l-jənt 

-ˈfəl-

adjective

Did you know?

"The full bow of the crescent moon peeps above the plain and shoots its gleaming arrows far and wide, filling the earth with a faint refulgence, as the glow of a good man's deeds shines for a while upon his little world after his sun has set, lighting the fainthearted travellers who follow on towards a fuller dawn." So British author Sir Henry Rider Haggard described the light of the moon in King Solomon's Mines, published in 1885. Haggard's example reflects both the modern meaning and the history of refulgence. That word derives from Latin refulgēre, which means "to shine brightly" and which is itself a descendant of the verb fulgēre, meaning "to shine." Fulgēre also underlies effulgence, a shining synonym of refulgence.

Synonyms

• brightness
• brilliance
• brilliancy
• candor
• dazzle
• effulgence
• illumination
• lambency
• lightness
• luminance
• luminosity
• luminousness
• luster
• lustre
• lustrousness
• radiance
• splendor

Examples of refulgence in a Sentence

the refulgence of a full moon on a clear autumn night

Recent Examples on the Web

The bottom floor is a La Colombe Torrefaction coffee shop, its fashionable patrons buzzing about in the glorious refulgence of a winter afternoon. —Alexander Nazaryan, Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2015

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin refulgentia "resplendence, brilliance," derivative of refulgent-, refulgens, present participle of refulgere "to radiate light, shine brightly, shine with reflected light," from re- re- + fulgere "to shine brightly, flash, lighten" — more at phlegm

First Known Use

1634, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

refulgence

noun

re·​ful·​gence ri-ˈfu̇l-jən(t)s 

-ˈfəl-

: a radiant or shining quality or state : brilliance

refulgent

-jənt 

adjective