lucent

American  

[loo-suhnt] / ˈlu sənt /

adjective

1. translucent; clear.

2. Literary. shining; luminous.

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lucent British  

/ ˈluːsənt /

adjective

1. brilliant, shining, or translucent

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• lucency
  noun
• semilucent
  adjective
• interlucent
  adjective
• unlucent
  adjective
• lucently
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of lucent

First recorded in 1490–1500; from Latin lūcent- (stem of lūcēns ), present participle of lūcēre “to shine”; see lucid, -ent

Explanation

Lucent things shine or glow with light. On a clear night, the full moon is lucent in the sky. The literary word lucent essentially means "luminous" or "radiant," glowing with a soft, bright light. You're most likely to encounter it in a poem or novel, describing the stars or white flowers in the dusk, or someone' s beautiful pale face, but it sometimes has a "clear or lucid" meaning as well. It comes from the Latin lucentem, from lucere, "to shine."