Word of the Week: Iridescent
Word: iridescent
Pronunciation: i-ri-DE-sənt
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: showing luminous colors that seem to change when seen from different angles
Source: Oxford Dictionaries
It’s no secret that I love colors. This was made especially obvious in my vocabulary post about the word “opalescent“. Colors are fun to write about, so it makes sense that I use several different color-themed adjectives in my stories and poems. And among my favorites, after its aforementioned synonym, is “iridescent”.
An “iridescent” object is one with various bright colors that appear to change depending on the angle from which they’re seen. The word was coined around the late 18th century, and comes from the Latin noun iris, which means “rainbow”.
I write about colors so often that I could probably come up with a hundred different examples of how I might use “iridescent” if I tried. A notable instance is in my story “The Silver Queen“, where I used it to describe the colorful scales of dragons. I think the reason I like this word so much is its connection to the image of rainbows, so if you like writing about anything bright and multicolored, “iridescent” is the word for you! Have fun!
What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?
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