Shiner

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈʃaɪnə(ɹ)/

Definitions

1. A bruise around the eye caused by injury ; an object that emits or reflects bright light ; a place where alcoholic spirits are produced unlawfully
2. An eye injury marked by dark swelling and discoloration ; a thing that shines with noticeable brightness ; a secret workshop making illegal liquor
3. A discoloration around the eye from a blow ; a gleaming or sparkling item ; an unlicensed still used for producing alcohol without permission

Etymology: The "shiner" for a black eye has nothing to do with light shining from the face. It is simply a person or thing that shines, which is how the word is built: "shine" with the agent suffix "-er," so a shiner is literally "one who shines." The Middle English form "schyner" carried that sense of something that gives off light, and the word has kept its place as a noun for a bright or shining thing. The link to the bruise is a later and more colourful meaning. Old English had "sċīnere," meaning a deceiver or magician, someone who produced false or illusory appearances, so the idea of a shine being something that dazzles or misleads runs back a long way. The black eye sense is not traced here to a single documented coiner or first use, so the exact route from "something bright" to "bruised eye" is best understood as a figurative jump in English slang rather than a settled chain of steps.

Synonyms: glimmer, gleam, sparkle, twinkle, radiance

Antonyms: dullness, darkness, obscurity, gloom, shadow