Bright

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /bɹaɪt/

Definitions

1. Emitting or reflecting much light; having vivid or intense color; intelligent or quick to learn
2. Radiating a strong light or clarity
3. characterized by vivid colors or effects

Etymology: Old English speakers used "beorht" for light that gleamed and shone, and the root behind it, Proto-Indo-European "bʰerHǵ-", meant to gleam, shine, or whiten. That ancient sense of shining whiteness survives in the family's relatives: Welsh "berth" meant beautiful or fair, and Russian "brezzhit'" means to dawn. The English word also gave us its own surprises in other directions. Its Old English adverb form "beorhte" once meant loudly as well as brilliantly, so a voice could be bright in the sense of carrying clearly. The noun "brightness" in English developed from the adjective, and the verb "brighten" came from Old English "beorhtian", formed from "beorht" with the verb-making suffix "-ian". The word is a native English inheritance rather than a borrowing, so its history runs straight from Old English to the present without passing through French or Latin.

Synonyms: luminous, radiant, vivid, shiny, brilliant

Antonyms: dim, dull, dark, faint, bleak