Beautiful Words

A

auriferous adjective

Containing or yielding gold, especially used of rocks, ore deposits, or streams. “Prospectors flooded the region after reports emerged of auriferous gravel in the river basin.”

aurora noun

A natural light display in the sky, especially in polar regions, caused by charged solar particles interacting with the atmosphere; also poetically, the dawn. “Travelers journeyed to northern Norway hoping to witness the aurora rippling green and violet across the Arctic sky.”

azure adjective

Of a bright blue color like a cloudless sky; sky-blue. “The hikers emerged from the forest to find an azure sky stretched endlessly above the mountain meadow.”

C

celeste adjective / noun

As an adjective, of a pale sky-blue color; as a noun, a keyboard instrument producing soft, bell-like tones via felt-covered hammers striking metal plates. “The nursery walls were painted a soft celeste that made the room feel open and airy.”

cerulean adjective

Of a deep, pure sky-blue color. “The artist mixed cerulean and white to capture the pale cerulean of the midwinter sky.”

chrysalis noun

The hard-shelled pupal stage of a butterfly, enclosed in a protective case during metamorphosis. “The children watched in wonder as a butterfly slowly broke free from its chrysalis on the classroom windowsill.”

D

diaphanous adjective

Light, delicate, and translucent; so thin as to be almost transparent. “The bride wore a diaphanous veil that floated behind her in the afternoon breeze.”

dulcet adjective

Sweet and soothing to the ear; (of sound) soft, melodious, and pleasant. “The dulcet tones of the cello drifted through the open windows of the concert hall into the warm evening air.”

E

effulgent adjective

Radiantly bright and resplendent; shining brilliantly and with great intensity. “Turner's painting captured the effulgent light of a midsummer sunrise breaking over the Thames with almost painful brilliance.”

elysian adjective

Of, relating to, or characteristic of Elysium; blissfully happy and beautiful beyond the ordinary world. “After weeks of desert trekking, the travelers found the oasis an almost elysian refuge of shade, cool water, and birdsong.”

ethereal adjective

Extremely delicate and light in a way that seems not of this world; heavenly or celestial in quality. “The choir's ethereal harmonies drifted through the stone cathedral like something not entirely of this earth.”

evanesce verb

To fade from sight gradually; to vanish like vapor. “The morning mist began to evanesce as the sun climbed higher above the valley.”

G

gossamer noun

A fine, delicate, cobweb-like material or fabric, or anything resembling such filmy, light substance. “The morning dew clung to gossamer threads stretched between the garden roses, turning each web into a tiny chandelier.”

H

halcyon adjective

Denoting a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy, golden, and peaceful. “She often looked back on her halcyon summers in the countryside as the happiest years of her childhood.”

I

iridescent adjective

Showing luminous colors that seem to change when seen from different angles, like a rainbow or the surface of a soap bubble. “The hummingbird's throat glowed in iridescent greens and purples that shifted with every tiny movement of its body.”

L

lullaby noun

A quiet, gentle song sung to soothe a child to sleep. “She hummed a soft lullaby until the baby's eyes finally closed and his breathing slowed.”

luminescence noun

The emission of light by a substance that has not been heated, produced instead by chemical, biological, or electrical processes. “The deep-sea diver was mesmerized by the blue-green luminescence emanating from the jellyfish drifting past the submersible.”

M

melancholy noun / adjective

A deep, pensive, and long-lasting sadness or gloom. “A profound melancholy settled over him as he packed away his late father's belongings.”

N

nimbus noun

A luminous cloud or halo surrounding a supernatural being or a saint in art; also, a large grey rain cloud. “The medieval icon depicted the saint with a golden nimbus that seemed to radiate outward from the panel.”

P

penumbra noun

The partially shaded outer region of a shadow cast by an opaque object, especially the area of partial eclipse surrounding a total eclipse. “Observers in the penumbra of the eclipse saw only a partial dimming of the sun rather than total darkness.”

phosphorescence noun

The emission of light by a substance without the generation of perceptible heat, persisting after the exciting radiation has been removed. “The waves broke in brilliant blue phosphorescence as the swimmer moved through the plankton-rich water at night.”

R

reverie noun

A state of pleasant, dreamy abstraction or fanciful musing. “She sat by the window, lost in a reverie about summers spent at her grandmother's farmhouse.”

S

serenade noun / verb

A piece of music sung or played outdoors at night, especially by a lover beneath a beloved's window. “He stood beneath her balcony and serenaded her with a guitar and a nervously sung love song.”

sibilant adjective

Making or characterized by a hissing sound, as the consonants 's' and 'sh' do. “The poet deliberately loaded her lines with sibilant consonants so that reading them aloud felt like wind through tall grass.”

somnolent adjective

Feeling drowsy and inclined to sleep; also, having a sleep-inducing quality. “The warm afternoon and the hum of the ceiling fan left the students somnolent and barely able to take notes.”

sylvan adjective

Of, relating to, or characteristic of woods or forest; pleasantly rural and wooded. “The hiking trail wound through a sylvan landscape of ancient oaks and dappled sunlight.”

T

twilight noun

The soft, diffuse light from the sky in the period just before sunrise or just after sunset. “They sat on the porch watching the sky turn amber and violet in the quiet of twilight.”

V

vespertine adjective

Of, relating to, or occurring in the evening. “The vespertine light cast long amber shadows across the meadow as the sun dipped below the hills.”