Glow

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /ɡləʊ/

Definitions

1. A soft, steady light emitted from something, or the warm radiance visible on skin from health or emotion
2. A gentle light that radiates from a source, or an inner warmth and brightness reflected in one's appearance or emotions
3. The emission of a faint luminescence from an object, or a visible shine representing vitality or feelings

Etymology: Before it meant shining light, "glow" was tied to heat. Middle English "glouen" described things giving off heat without flame, metal turning red-hot, and even a face flushing red with emotion. Light came to the fore later, so the word's core idea is warmth that you can see. The root reaches back to Proto-Indo-European "ǵʰleh₁-", meaning "to shine," and it spread through the Germanic languages: German "glühen," Dutch "gloeien," and Old Norse "glóa" all share it. Old English had "glōwan," a strong verb, while the Middle English forms behave as weak verbs, which suggests borrowing from Old Norse "glówa" may have shaped them. Scholars are not certain which route produced the English verb. A second, separate word "glower" (to stare) appeared in Late Middle English as "glouen." Its origin is uncertain, though it may have been linked to the same "glow" verb or to Old Norse "glóa," meaning "to shine." The noun "glow" comes from the verb.

Synonyms: shine, radiate, gleam, luminate, sparkle

Antonyms: darken, dull, fade, dim, blot