gloss

Meaning

Noun

1. (uncountable, usually) A surface shine or luster.
2. (figuratively, uncountable, usually) A superficially or deceptively attractive appearance.

Verb

1. (transitive) To give a gloss or sheen to.
2. (transitive) To make (something) attractive by deception
3. (intransitive) To become shiny.
4. (idiomatic, transitive) Used in a phrasal verb: gloss over (“to cover up a mistake or crime, to treat something with less care than it deserves”).

Verb

To add a gloss to (a text).

Synonyms

polish

🇵🇱

comment

shine

luster

lustre

glaze

commentary

exposition

explanation

annotate

glossiness

burnish

colour

color

annotation

interpretation

sheen

varnish

glossary

coat

🧥

description

cover up

lustre

furbish

expound

luster

gloze

notation

lustrousness

rubric

explain

brightness

excuse

semblance

account

embellishment

elucidation

dress

👗

dissemble

articulate

disguise

interpret

glow

descant

definition

accounting

gild

criticism

formulate

cover

Translations

glose

Glosse

glosa

glossa

lucentezza

glosar

glosse

kanttekening

Randbemerkung

glossar

glans

Kommentar

commenter

Glanz

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ɡlɒs/

Etymology

Cognate with Icelandic: glossi

Cognate with Western Frisian: gloeze

Cognate with Middle Low German: glȫsen

Cognate with German: glosen

Inherited from Middle English: glosse

Inherited from Middle English: glossen

In summary

Probably from a North Germanic language, compare Icelandic glossi (“spark, flame”), glossa (“to flame”); or perhaps from dialectal Dutch gloos (“a glow, flare”), related to West Frisian gloeze (“a glow”), Middle Low German glȫsen (“to smoulder, glow”), German glosen (“to smoulder”); ultimately from Proto-Germanic *glus- (“to glow, shine”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰel- (“to flourish; be green or yellow”). More at glow.