Wednesday Word: Effulgence

[calzephyr77.livejournal.com]

Effulgence - noun.

Another word from my cursed puzzle book that had me saying plenty of words that started with "eff" :-D

Effulgence seems like a word describing the output of a cow's rear end, but it actually is a dull word to describe radiant splendour. Who would have guessed? It even has a cousin that means the same thing, refulgence.

Please, please, don't use this word when you can use a more stellar descriptor such as brilliancy, lustre, splendor, luminous, brightness or radiance!

Comments

[gneu.livejournal.com]

What's so dull about it? To call something effulgent was quite poetic back in the day.

[calzephyr77.livejournal.com]

LOL, I have the same reaction to it in the same way people feel about moist :-)

[full-metal-ox.livejournal.com]

Neither word bothers me, but here’s a possible illustration of effulgence for you:

[calzephyr77.livejournal.com]

Yes! This is exactly what effulgence seems to me :-)

[prettygoodword.livejournal.com]

I rather like refulgent. Not sure about effulgent, though -- too close to effluent.

[calzephyr77.livejournal.com]

Yes, the closeness doesn't help at all :-D

[full-metal-ox.livejournal.com]

Off-topic, but Atlas Obscura recently spotlighted a potential Word of the Day that I’d never before encountered:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/hapax-legomenon-hapaxes