Word of the Day for Monday October 3, 2005 effulgence \i-FUL-juhn(t)s\, noun: The state of being bright and radiant; splendor; brilliance. The purity of his private character gave effulgence to his public virtues. --Congressman Henry Lee's Eulogy for George Washington, 1799 The setting sun as usual shed a melancholy effulgence on the ruddy towers of the Alhambra. --Washington Irving, [1]The Alhambra Nice gave him a different light from Paris -- a high, constant effulgence with little gray in it, flooding broadly across sea, city and hills, producing luminous shadows and clear tonal structures. --Robert Hughes, "Inventing A Sensory Utopia," [2]Time, November 17, 1986 _________________________________________________________ From Latin ex- "out of, from" + fulgere, "to shine." The adjective form of the word is effulgent. References 1. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0940450593/ref=nosim/lexico 2. http://www.time.com/ Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=9&q=effulgence