Glowing

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈɡloʊɪŋ/

Definitions

1. Radiating light or brightness while also suggesting warmth or vitality, often accompanied by an aura of admiration or enthusiasm
2. Emitting a steady and luminous radiance indicating heat or energy, or expressing a strong positive sentiment or praise about something
3. Producing visible light or illumination through warmth or chemical action, or showing enthusiastic approval or favorable judgment

Etymology: Glow began as a verb meaning to give off heat and light without flame, and its ancestry runs back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to shine." It came down through Old English "glōwan" and related Germanic forms, with cognates in Dutch "gloeien," German "glühen," and Old Norse "glóa." Some scholars have suggested it may be a distant relative of "glass," though this link remains uncertain. The sense of heat and colour came first. Middle English "glouen" described things heated until red hot, and it could also describe a face flushing with emotion. Light and shining became the dominant idea over time, so that a thing can now glow with a steady brightness even when it is cool to the touch. The adjective is simply the verb's form used to describe something that is shining with light, so it carries the older senses of warmth and colour along with it.

Synonyms: radiant, bright, luminous, shining, brilliant

Antonyms: dim, dark, dull, faint, bland