Nitescent
/naɪˈtɛsənt/noun
Beginning to shine or becoming bright.
Did you know?Nitescent comes from Latin nitescere, an inchoative verb meaning “to become bright,” built from nitēre, “to shine.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*neyH-
“To shine or be bright”
Classical Latin
Latin
nitēre
“To shine, gleam, or be brilliant”
Classical Latin
Latin
nitescere
“To begin shining or become bright”
Late Latin
Latin
nitescens
“Becoming bright; shining”
17th Century
English
nitescent
“Beginning to shine or becoming luminous”
Modern English
English
nitescent
“Shining faintly or becoming bright”