gloss 1  (glôs, gl ŏs)
Share:
n.1. A surface shininess or luster. 2. A kind of paint that dries to a shiny finish. 3. A cosmetic that adds shine or luster, such as lip gloss. 4. A superficially or deceptively attractive appearance or good reputation: The firm lost some of its gloss when its investments performed poorly. tr.v. glossed, gloss·ing, gloss·es 1. To give a bright sheen or luster to. 2. To apply a gloss to: glossed her lips. Phrasal Verb: gloss over To make attractive or acceptable by deception or superficial treatment: a résumé that glossed over the applicant's lack of experience.
|
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
gloss 2  (glôs, gl ŏs)
Share:
n.1. a. A brief explanatory note or translation of a difficult or technical expression usually inserted in the margin or between lines of a text or manuscript. b. A collection of such notes; a glossary. 2. An extensive commentary, often accompanying a text or publication. 3. A purposefully misleading interpretation or explanation. tr.v. glossed, gloss·ing, gloss·es 1. To provide (an expression or a text) with a gloss or glosses. 2. To give a false interpretation to.
[Middle English glose, from Old French, from Medieval Latin glōsa, from Latin glōssa, foreign word requiring explanation, from Greek, tongue, language.]
glosser n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
Indo-European Roots
Semitic Roots
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.
This website is best viewed in Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, or Safari. Some characters in pronunciations and etymologies cannot be displayed properly in Internet Explorer.