definitions

lambent

[ lam-buh nt ]
/ ˈlæm bənt /
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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.

RELATED WORDS

bright, brilliant, flickering, glowing, lustrous, radiant, shinning

Nearby words

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

Related forms

lam·bent·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lambent

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

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