Splendours

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Magnificent displays of beauty or grandeur that captivate the senses
2. Remarkable and impressive elements that evoke admiration or awe
3. The state of being splendid, characterized by richness and brilliance in appearance

Etymology: "Splendours" is simply the British spelling of the plural of "splendour," so the real story lies with the singular. Splendour descends from Latin "splendor," meaning brightness or radiance, from the verb "splendere," to shine. The word came into English through Old French "esplendour," and it was originally applied to light itself, the gleam of a polished surface or the shining of the sun, before extending to the grandeur of rich ceremony and fine things. Its Latin ancestor was used for both physical light and figurative glory, and English kept that double sense. The plural form "splendours" therefore gathers up many separate displays of that brilliance, whether a royal court's pageantry or the dazzling sweep of a landscape at sunset.

Synonyms: magnificence, brilliance, glory

Antonyms: dullness, mediocrity