Outshining

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Emitting or reflecting more light than another object ; performing better or being more impressive than others in skill or quality
2. Shining more brilliantly or vividly compared to others nearby ; excelling by outdoing others in a particular field or activity
3. Being visibly brighter and attracting more attention through light ; surpassing peers by demonstrating superior ability or success

Etymology: The verb "outshine" is simply "out-" added to "shine," and the pieces are about as old as English itself. The prefix "out" traces back through Proto-Germanic and Old English, where "ūt" meant "outside" or "away from within," and it has long been used to mean "beyond" or "more than." Attaching it to "shine" produces a word meaning to shine more brightly than something else, so that the light of one thing eclipses another. The figurative sense, surpassing others in ability or success, grew naturally out of that literal meaning. A performer who outshines the rest of the cast is simply the brightest light on stage, and the metaphor has been used so long that most speakers never picture a lamp at all. The "shine" in the base word comes from Old English "scīnan," which described the emission of light, so the literal and figurative senses have stayed close together for centuries.

Synonyms: surpassing, dimming