opalesce

[ oh-puh-les ]

/ ˌoʊ pəˈlɛs /

verb (used without object), o·pal·esced, o·pal·esc·ing.

to exhibit a play of colors like that of the opal.

Words nearby opalesce

opacity, opacus, opah, opal, opal glass, opalesce, opalescent, opaleye, opaline, opaque, opaque context

Origin of opalesce

First recorded in 1810–20; back formation from opalescent

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

British Dictionary definitions for opalesce

opalesce

/ (ˌəʊpəˈlɛs) /

verb

(intr) to exhibit a milky iridescence

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