Make Your Point: IRIDESCE

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pronounce IRIDESCE:

EAR uh DESS

Hear it.

connect this word to others:

You could say that this hairstyle iridesces: that it shines in a rainbow of colors.

Or, you could get more specific; since the base color seems to be a shimmery white, you could say that this hairstyle o__lesces: that it shines like a certain rainbowy white gem. Can you recall that one?

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(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

In Latin, iris means "rainbow," which gave us our English word "iridescent."

Something iridescent, like a soap bubble or a puddle of oil, seems to shimmer with a rainbow of colors.

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We've used that word "iridescent," and the noun, "iridescence," since the year 1800 or so. It took us until about 1884 to create the verb, "iridesce," which is much rarer than the other forms, so it really catches your reader's attention.

Like it sounds, to iridesce is to shine or shimmer with a rainbow of colors.

And if you like to get figurative, to iridesce could mean to display so much beauty, wonder, talent, happiness, or excitement that you seem to shine with every color of the rainbow.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Verb, usually the intransitive kind: "His poetry iridesces." Rarely, the transitive kind: "His poetry iridesces flashes of insight."

Other forms:

The common ones are "iridescent" and "iridescence."

The other verb forms, both rare, are "iridesced" and "iridescing."

how to use it:

While "iridescent" and "iridescence" are fairly common words, the verb "iridesce" is rare, so it instantly focuses attention on your idea. You can use it to startle and delight your reader.

Say that something iridesces.

It might be something literal, like soap bubbles, oil puddles, flower petals, bird feathers, jewels, or prisms.

Or figurative, like people, faces, smiles, eyes, music, food, scenes, or conversations.

examples:

"Brighter than bright cherry-red, [the lacquer's] richness of colour was as if it were red builded upon red. It glowed and iridesced in the sunlight as if gleaming up from underlay under underlay of red."
— Jack London, The Red One, 1919

"Don't mess with the blue-ringed octopus... Before it bites, releasing its venomous saliva through its beak, the octopus sends out a warning—a flash of bright blue rings—that seems to suddenly iridesce all over its body."
— Gisela Telis, Science, 10 October 2012

has this page helped you understand "iridesce"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "iridesce" without saying "glint with rainbows" or "sparkle in every color."

try it out:

Below, check out three instances of natural iridescence.

First, the auroras:

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Second, the mountains in Zhangye National Geopark:

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Third, a hummingbird:

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Of these three things in nature that iridesce, pick the one you appreciate the most, and explain why.

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for June is "Happy Stories in Hidden Cities."

I'll give you a sentence from a happy news story, along with a long word that contains all the letters, in order, of the name of the city in which the story takes place. And you give me the city.

Here's an example:

"A puppy was excited to experience his first-ever snowfall on Friday, November 11, after a winter storm swept through the area." FARRAGO.

The answer here is "Fargo," the city where this story takes place. You can spot the name FARGO inside FARRAGO.

Try this one today:

"Shepherds guided their flocks in traditional dress, while some played music and others danced....Children used to seeing traffic jams and hearing car horns got a joyful reminder of the sights and sounds of the countryside during the event, where it's easy to stand close enough to touch the sheep as they go by." SALAMANDROID.

To see the answer, scroll all the way down!

review this word:

1. Near opposites of IRIDESCENT are

A. DULL and DRAB.
B. STARK and CONTRASTING.
C. CASUAL and CONVERSATIONAL.

2. Poetry that iridesces, as Herbert Spencer put it, is "_____ poetry," _____.

A. irrational .. full of "darkness, chaos, and tentacles"
B. iris hued .. refracted through "the white light of truth"
C. Irish .. as "lush and green" as the countryside that inspires it

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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