WOTD

Refulgent (adjective)
Pronunciation: [ree-'fUl-jênt]
Definition: Shining brightly, resplendent, illustrious.
Usage: In July of 1838 a young radical by the name of Ralph Waldo Emerson began his address to the seniors of Harvard Divinity School thus: "In this refulgent summer, it has been a luxury to draw the breath of life. The grass grows, the buds burst, the meadow is spotted with fire and gold in the tint of flowers." His admonishments to the seniors in the radical cause of human individualism led to the banishment of his writings from the college for decades. The noun may be "refulgence" or "refulgency" and the adverb is "refulgently."
Suggested Usage: As spring approaches the northern climes, refulgent eyes and smiles are as sure to appear as flowers and birds. "The refulgent glow on Edna's face told everyone that she had passed her exam." Anything shining in the sun fits this definition: "The marching men of the 82nd Airborne were refulgent in their full-dress uniforms as they passed the reviewing stand."
Etymology: Latin refulgens, refulgent- present participle of refulgere "to flash, shine back" comprising re- "back" + fulgere "to flash." The original Indo-European root was *bhel- "shine, flash, burn," as in "Bel," the old Celtic god of light, whose festival, Beltane (fire of Bel) was celebrated by a great "belfire" (bale-fire). The root is also in the name of the world's best caviar, "beluga," from Russian belyi "white." With metathesis, we find the same stem in "blue" and German Blitz "flash" as in Blitzkrieg "flash war." "Bleach" and "blind" are two more relatives and, would you believe, "black" (the results of burning)? With the shift of initial [bh] to [f] and metathesis in Latin, the same root survived in flamma, the origin of "flame," and flagrare "to blaze," whose present participle became our "flagrant." Have you made any blazing mistakes recently? –Dr. Language, YourDictionary.com



I HAD NEVER HEARD OF THIS WORD BEFORE, I WOULD HAVE FAILED TO GUESS THE DEFINITION OF THIS.