Sheening

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The action or outcome of generating a shiny surface with a luminous quality
2. The process or effect of making a surface appear bright and reflective by adding shine
3. The act of creating a polished finish that reflects light and looks smooth

Etymology: "Sheening" is the present participle (or gerund) of "sheen," so it describes the ongoing process of giving something a glossy finish. The noun "sheen" comes from Old English "scēne," meaning "beautiful" or "bright," and its earlier sense was closer to "splendid" or "fair" than to the shine we associate with it now. Over time the word narrowed from a general quality of beauty to the specific brightness of a reflecting surface, and the verb form followed that narrower meaning. The "-ing" ending is the ordinary English suffix that turns a verb into a participle or gerund, so nothing unusual happened in forming "sheening" itself. The more interesting history lies in the root, which is also related to the Old English adjective "sciene," meaning "beautiful, fair, bright," a word that was itself common in Anglo-Saxon poetry.

Synonyms: glossing, shining, gleaming, reflecting, lustring

Antonyms: dulling, matting, fading, clouding, darkening