different between brilliant vs lustrous

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French brillant (late 17th century), present participle of the verb briller, from Italian brillare, possibly from Latin berillus, beryllus (“a beryl, gem, eyeglass”), from Ancient Greek ???????? (b?rullos, “beryl”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?b??lj?nt/

Adjective

brilliant (comparative more brilliant, superlative most brilliant)

1. Shining brightly.

   the brilliant lights along the promenade

2. (of a colour) Both bright and saturated.

   butterflies with brilliant blue wings

3. (of a voice or sound) Having a sharp, clear tone
4. (Britain) Of surpassing excellence.

   The actor's performance in the play was simply brilliant.

5. (Britain) Magnificent or wonderful.
6. Highly intelligent.

   She is a brilliant scientist.

Synonyms

• (shining brightly): glittering, shining
• (of a colour: both light and saturated):
• (of a voice or sound: having a sharp, clear tone):
• (surpassing excellence): excellent, distinctive, striking, superb (obsolete except in UK usage)
• (magnificent or wonderful): exceptional, glorious, magnificent, marvellous/marvelous, splendid, wonderful (obsolete except in UK usage)
• (highly intelligent): brainy, ingenious
• See also Thesaurus:intelligent

Related terms

• brilliance
• brilliantine
• brilliantly
• brilliantness
• beryl (possibly)
• beryllium (possibly)

Translations

Noun

brilliant (countable and uncountable, plural brilliants)

1. A finely cut gemstone, especially a diamond, cut in a particular form with numerous facets so as to maximize light return through the top (called "table") of the stone.
   • 1717, Alexander Pope, The Basset-Table

     This snuffbox — on the hinge see brilliants shine.
3. (uncountable, printing, dated) The size of type between excelsior and diamond, standardized as 4-point.
4. Most hummingbird species of the genus Heliodoxa.
5. A kind of cotton goods, figured on the weaving.

Descendants

• (small type size): (German) Brillant

Translations

Further reading

• brilliant in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• brilliant in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• brilliant at OneLook Dictionary Search

Crimean Tatar

Etymology

French brillant.

Noun

brilliant

1. brilliant.

Declension

References

• Mirjejev, V. A.; Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajins?ko-kryms?kotatars?kyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]?^[1], Simferopol: Dolya, ?ISBN

English

Etymology

lustre +? -ous

Adjective

lustrous (comparative more lustrous, superlative most lustrous)

1. Having a glow or lustre.
   • 1599, William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, Act IV, Scene 2, [1]

     Why it hath bay windows transparent as barricadoes, and the clearstores toward the south north are as lustrous as ebony; and yet complainest thou of obstruction?

   • 1892, Walt Whitman, "Gods" in Leaves of Grass (abridged reprint of the 1892 edition), New York: The Modern Library, 1921, p. 232, [2]

     Or Time and Space,

     Or shape of Earth divine and wondrous,

     Or some fair shape I viewing, worship,

     Or lustrous orb of sun or star by night,

     Be ye my Gods.

   • 1924, Herman Melville, Billy Budd, London: Constable & Co., Chapter 1,^[3]

     It was a hot noon in July; and his face, lustrous with perspiration, beamed with barbaric good humor.

   • 1936, Wallace Stevens, "Meditation Celestial & Terrestrial" in The Collected Poems of Wallace Stevens, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1971, p. 123,

     The wild warblers are warbling in the jungle

     Of life and spring and of the lustrous inundations,

     Flood on flood, of our returning sun.

   • 2000, Philip Pullman, The Amber Spyglass, Random House Children's Books, 2001, Chapter 1,^[4]

     The sunlight lay heavy and rich on his lustrous golden fur, and his monkey hands turned a pine cone this way and that, snapping off the scales with sharp fingers and scratching out the sweet nuts.

2. As if shining with a brilliant light; radiant.

Translations