lambent

[ lam-buh nt ]

/ ˈlæm bənt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR lambent ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

running or moving lightly over a surface: lambent tongues of flame.

dealing lightly and gracefully with a subject; brilliantly playful: lambent wit.

softly bright or radiant: a lambent light.

Words nearby lambent

lambdacism, lambdoid, lambdoid suture, lambdoidal suture, lambency, lambent, lambert, lambert conformal projection, lambert's law, lambert-eaton syndrome, lambeth

Origin of lambent

1640–50; < Latin lambent- (stem of lambēns) lapping, present participle of lambere to lick, wash (said of water or fire); akin to lap³; see -ent

OTHER WORDS FROM lambent

lam·bent·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for lambent

A lambent spotlight shines on each individual in his portraits, reminding the world of their forgotten existence.
Ghosts of the Sahara|Lizzie Crocker|April 9, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Their eyes are luminous and lambent, but it is a melancholy light.
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. XXIV, May 1852, Vol. IV|Various
At first I thought it was dead, but when I looked closer I saw a lambent fire in its amber eyes.
Famous Modern Ghost Stories|Various
But Ooma turned away from the man, and looked through the window, with the lambent glare of a wild animal in his eyes.
The Stowmarket Mystery|Louis Tracy

As a monstrous mirror to augment the radiance and multiply the lambent gleams, the speckless crust stretched on and on.
The Law of the North (Originally published as Empery)|Samuel Alexander White
From about her neck and breast there shone what is known as a lambent flame which at times became tempestuous.
The Cassowary|Stanley Waterloo

British Dictionary definitions for lambent

lambent

/ (ˈlæmbənt) /

adjective

(esp of a flame) flickering softly over a surface

glowing with soft radiance

(of wit or humour) light or brilliant

Derived forms of lambent

lambency, nounlambently, adverb

Word Origin for lambent

C17: from the present participle of Latin lambere to lick

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

lambent

adjective

Words related to lambent

Words nearby lambent

Origin of lambent

OTHER WORDS FROM lambent

Examples from the Web for lambent

British Dictionary definitions for lambent

adjective

Derived forms of lambent

Word Origin for lambent