- Today's Word
Coruscant
[KOR-uh-skuhnt]
Definition
- (adjective) A “coruscant” is a person who is brilliant, dazzling, and full of energy. They possess a lively and quick-witted intellect that shines brightly, often leaving others in awe of their mental agility and sparkling personality.
Example
The debate team was led by a coruscant speaker whose arguments were so eloquent and well-crafted that the opposing team struggled to keep up with her quick thinking and sharp wit.
Fun Fact
In astronomy, “coruscant” is used to describe a celestial object, such as a star, that appears to be shimmering or twinkling rapidly. This effect is caused by the Earth’s atmosphere refracting the light from the object, making it appear to flicker or dance in the night sky. The word “coruscant” comes from the Latin word “coruscare,” which means “to flash, glitter, or sparkle.” In science fiction, “Coruscant” is also the name of a fictional planet in the Star Wars universe, known for its dazzling, city-covered surface that gleams like a jewel in space.
(adjective) Showy and cheap in appearance; flashy in a way that suggests low quality or poor taste.
The hotel lobby was all tawdry glamour — gold-painted fixtures, velvet ropes, and crystal chandeliers that turned out to be plastic on closer inspection.
Tawdry is one of English’s most remarkable etymological stories — it derives directly from St. Audrey, a 7th century Anglo-Saxon queen who died of a throat tumor she believed was divine punishment for her youthful vanity in wearing elaborate necklaces. At the annual St. Audrey’s Fair held in her honor on the Isle of Ely, cheap lace necklaces were sold as souvenirs — called “St. Audrey’s lace,” which over time was slurred into “tawdry lace,” and eventually just tawdry. A queen’s dying regret became an adjective for everything she once loved.