This week’s topic over at ThatArtsyReaderGirl for Top Ten Tuesday is favorite words. And I have done so many word-related posts (linked below) that I had to think of some other way to make up a list today. Since Diwali, or Deepavali, is less than a week away, I am sharing a few beautiful words related to light (at least as I sounded them out, or simply because of their meaning) with you today.

There are way too many beautiful words! That was my first thought as I went looking; both among the words I already know and love and those I learned of as I looked. And this is only among those within the spectrum of those related to light! There is: beaming, brilliant, and burnished; dazzling, effulgent, and flickering; gleaming, glowing, and glistening; irradiant, luminous, and nitid; pellucid, radiant, and sparkling; twinkle, vivid, and warm; and so many more!

But I had to narrow it down, at least a bit, so I randomly picked a few (cheated in a way since there is all those words listed above already, right?)

Beautiful Words Related to Light

• apricity: the warmth of the sun in winter. While not truly light related, it has to do with the sun and I love this now unused word! Don’t you think we should use it more?
• argent (n): lustrous, silvery white; that argent moon up in the cloudless sky!
• aurora (n): the dawn; refers to the goddess when capitalized; and also to those wondrous polar lights that are on my must-see in a lifetime.
• chatoyant (adj): having changeable luster or color, shimmering; like a cat’s eye, some gemstones, and even wood, and the wings and the throat of a hummingbird too!
• dappled (adj): marked with spots of light and shadow; like those sun-dappled areas in beautiful groves that make perfect reading spots!
• diaphanous (adj): light, delicate, and translucent; usually used to describe fabric, but I think of butterflies when I hear this word
• empyrean (n): supposedly the highest heaven, or the region of pure light and fire. “The empyrean rung/ With hallelujahs.” – Paradise Lost, John Milton
• gossamer (n): used to refer to something very light, thin, and delicate; translucent, letting light through; the gossamer wings of a fairy.
• incandescent (adj): strikingly bright, radiant, or clear.
• lambent (adj): ) glowing, gleaming, or flickering with a soft radiance; the lambent glow of the campfire
• luciform (adj): Having the nature of light; light-like! Maybe like this list!:)
• moonbow (n): a rainbow produced by moonlight! Have you ever seen one? Isn’t it a splendid sight? One that calms and dazzles you at the same time?
• silhouette (n): the dark shape of someone or something against a lighter background. There is simply something about saying this word!
• syzygy (n): ending with another not directly related to light, but we can make connections easily, for this one means a conjunction or opposition, especially of the moon with the sun.

More Beauty From Elsewhere

And I also loved these words from other languages (I know there are many more but I just picked these for now)

• gumusservi (noun – Turkish):  Moonlight shining on the water
• komorebi (noun – Japanese): Soothing sunlight through trees

Other Wordy and Light Related Posts

• Wondrous Words of Indian Origin
• 15 Cool Words Every Book Lover Should Know
• 35 Words That Used to Mean Something Completely Different Before
• Ten Books for People Who Love Words and Language

And Now, the End of This Post

Dear reader, which of these words might make it on your list of beautiful words related to light? Or on a list of beautiful or favorite words? What is your favorite “sparkling” word, be it in English or any other language? I would love to add more to this list!