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opalescence

[ oh-puh-les-uhns ]

/ ˌoʊ pəˈlɛs əns /

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See synonyms for opalescence on Thesaurus.com

noun

a lustrous play of colors like that of an opal: This moonstone pendant has a lovely pearly opalescence.

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Origin of opalescence

opal + -escence

Words nearby opalescence

opacity, opacus, opah, opal, opalesce, opalescence, opalescent, opaleye, opal glass, opaline, Opa-Locka

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use opalescence in a sentence

Across the violet surface of the Mediterranean and the crystal opalescence of the evening sky the music fell voluptuously.
The Enemies of Women|Vicente Blasco Ibez
In a certain aspect, there plays over this spot a violet opalescence of exceeding richness.
The Romance of Natural History, Second Series|Philip Henry Gosse
And in the midst of it all the girl shone like the one evening star in the mystic opalescence of twilight.
The Grain Of Dust|David Graham Phillips
Far overhead there was one fleeting glimpse of a pinpoint of dull opalescence reflecting the rays of the dying sun.
The Planetoid of Peril|Paul Ernst

The filtrate from these precipitates containing only fractional residues of acetone still shows opalescence.
Researches on Cellulose|C. F. Cross