gloss

gloss

gloss¹ [glôs, gläs]

n.

[prob. < Scand, as in Norw dial. glosa, to gleam: for IE base see GLASS]

1. the brightness or luster of a smooth, polished surface; sheen

2. a deceptively smooth or pleasant outward appearance, as in manners or speech

3. short for LIP GLOSS

vt.

1. to give a polished, shiny surface to; make lustrous

2. [a blend of vt. 1 & GLOSS²] to smooth over or cover up (an error, inadequacy, fault, etc.); make appear right by specious argument or by minimizing: often with over

vi.

to become shiny

glosser

n.

gloss² [glôs, gläs]

n.

[ME glose < OFr or ML glosa, for L glossa, foreign or strange word needing explanation < Gr glōssa, orig., tongue, language < * glōchia, pointed object < glochis, point < IE base * glogh-, thorn, point > OSlav gloge, thorn]

1. words of explanation or translation inserted between the lines of a text

2.

a) a note of comment or explanation accompanying a text, as in a footnote or margin

b) a collection of such notes

3. a false or misleading interpretation

vt.

1. to furnish (a text) with glosses

2. to interpret falsely

vi.

to annotate a text

glosser

n.

gloss³

abbrev.

glossary