Adjacent Words

Gloss definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

GLOSS, n. [Gr. the tongue, and a strap. L. has glossa, a tongue, and interpretation. In Heb. signifies to shine, but from the sense of smoothness. L. lustro; Eng. luster.]
1. Brightness or luster of a body proceeding from a smooth surface; as the gloss of silk; cloth is calendared to give it a gloss.
2. A specious appearance or representation; external show that may mislead opinion.
It is no part of my secret meaning to set on the face of this cause any fairer gloss than the naked truth doth afford.
3. An interpretation artfully specious.
4. Interpretation; comment; explanation; remark intended to illustrate a subject.
All this, without a gloss or comment,
He would unriddle in a moment.
Explaining the text in short glosses.
5. A literal translation.
GLOSS, v.t. To give a superficial luster to; to make smooth and shining; as, to gloss cloth by the calendar; to gloss mahogany.
1. To explain; to render clear and evident by comments; to illustrate.
2. To give a specious appearance to; to render specious and plausible; to palliate by specious representation.
You have the art to gloss the foulest cause.
GLOSS, v.i. To comment; to write or make explanatory remarks.
1. To make sly remarks.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an explanation or definition of an obscure word in a text [syn: gloss, rubric]
2: an alphabetical list of technical terms in some specialized field of knowledge; usually published as an appendix to a text on that field [syn: glossary, gloss]
3: the property of being smooth and shiny [syn: polish, gloss, glossiness, burnish]
4: an outward or token appearance or form that is deliberately misleading; "he hoped his claims would have a semblance of authenticity"; "he tried to give his falsehood the gloss of moral sanction"; "the situation soon took on a different color" [syn: semblance, gloss, color, colour] v
1: give a shine or gloss to, usually by rubbing
2: provide interlinear explanations for words or phrases; "He annotated on what his teacher had written" [syn: gloss, comment, annotate]
3: provide an interlinear translation of a word or phrase
4: give a deceptive explanation or excuse for; "color a lie" [syn: color, colour, gloss]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: akin to Middle High German glosen to glow, shine; akin to Old English geolu yellow Date: 1538 1. a surface luster or brightness ; shine 2. a. a deceptively attractive appearance <selfishness that had a gloss of humanitarianism about it> b. bright often superficial attractiveness <show-biz gloss> 3. a transparent cosmetic preparation for adding shine and usually color to the lips II. transitive verb Date: 1656 1. a. to mask the true nature of ; give a deceptively attractive appearance to — used with over <the misery was general, where not glossed over by liberal application of alcohol — Marston Bates> b. to deal with (a subject or problem) too lightly or not at all — used with over <glosses over scholarly controversies rather than confronting them head-on — John Israel> 2. to give a gloss to III. noun Etymology: alteration of gloze, from Middle English glose, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin glosa, glossa, from Greek gl?ssa, gl?tta tongue, language, obscure word; akin to Greek gl?chis projecting point Date: 1548 1. a. a brief explanation (as in the margin or between the lines of a text) of a difficult or obscure word or expression b. a false and often willfully misleading interpretation (as of a text) 2. a. glossary b. an interlinear translation c. a continuous commentary accompanying a text 3. commentary, interpretation IV. transitive verb Date: 1603 1. a. to provide a gloss for ; explain, define b. interpret 2. to dispose of by false or perverse interpretation <trying to gloss away the irrationalities of the universe — Irwin Edman>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. & v. --n. 1 a surface shine or lustre. b an instance of this; a smooth finish. 2 a deceptively attractive appearance. b an instance of this. 3 (in full gloss paint) paint formulated to give a hard glossy finish (cf. MATT). --v.tr. make glossy. Phrases and idioms: gloss over 1 seek to conceal beneath a false appearance. 2 conceal or evade by mentioning briefly or misleadingly. Derivatives: glosser n. Etymology: 16th c.: orig. unkn. 2. n. & v. --n. 1 a an explanatory word or phrase inserted between the lines or in the margin of a text. b a comment, explanation, interpretation, or paraphrase. 2 a misrepresentation of another's words. 3 a a glossary. b an interlinear translation or annotation. --v. 1 tr. a add a gloss or glosses to (a text, word, etc.). b read a different sense into; explain away. 2 intr. (often foll. by on) make (esp. unfavourable) comments. 3 intr. write or introduce glosses. Derivatives: glosser n. Etymology: alt. of GLOZE after med.L glossa

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Gloss Gloss, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Glossed; p. pr. & vb. n. Glossing.] To give a superficial luster or gloss to; to make smooth and shining; as, to gloss cloth. The glossed and gleamy wave. --J. R. Drake.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Gloss Gloss, n. [Cf. Icel. glossi a blaze, glys finery, MHG. glosen to glow, G. glosten to glimmer; perh. akin to E. glass.] 1. Brightness or luster of a body proceeding from a smooth surface; polish; as, the gloss of silk; cloth is calendered to give it a gloss. It is no part . . . to set on the face of this cause any fairer gloss than the naked truth doth afford. --Hooker. 2. A specious appearance; superficial quality or show. To me more dear, congenial to my heart, One native charm than all the gloss of art. --Goldsmith.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Gloss Gloss, n. [OE. glose, F. glose, L. glossa a difficult word needing explanation, fr. Gr. ? tongue, language, word needing explanation. Cf. Gloze, Glossary, Glottis.] 1. A foreign, archaic, technical, or other uncommon word requiring explanation. [Obs.] 2. An interpretation, consisting of one or more words, interlinear or marginal; an explanatory note or comment; a running commentary. All this, without a gloss or comment, He would unriddle in a moment. --Hudibras. Explaining the text in short glosses. --T. Baker. 3. A false or specious explanation. --Dryden.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Gloss Gloss, v. t. 1. To render clear and evident by comments; to illustrate; to explain; to annotate. 2. To give a specious appearance to; to render specious and plausible; to palliate by specious explanation. You have the art to gloss the foulest cause. --Philips.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Gloss Gloss, v. i. 1. To make comments; to comment; to explain. --Dryden. 2. To make sly remarks, or insinuations. --Prior.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Glossa Glos"sa, n.; pl. Gloss?. [NL., fr. Gr. ? the tongue.] (Zo["o]l.) The tongue, or lingua, of an insect. See Hymenoptera.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(glosses, glossing, glossed) 1. A gloss is a bright shine on the surface of something. Rain produced a black gloss on the asphalt. = sheen N-SING 2. Gloss is an appearance of attractiveness or good quality which sometimes hides less attractive features or poor quality. Television commercials might seem more professional but beware of mistaking the gloss for the content. 3. If you put a gloss on a bad situation, you try to make it seem more attractive or acceptable by giving people a false explanation or interpretation of it. He used his diary to put a fine gloss on the horrors the regime perpetrated... N-SING: a N, usu N on n 4. Gloss is the same as gloss paint. N-MASS 5. Gloss is a type of shiny make-up. She brushed gloss on to her eyelids. ...lip glosses. N-MASS 6. If you gloss a difficult word or idea, you provide an explanation of it. Older editors glossed 'drynke' as 'love-potion'. VERB: V n as n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Comment, note, explanation, interpretation, scholium, annotation, commentary. 2. Pretext, pretence, specious plea. 3. Lustre, polish, shining surface, sheen. II. v. n. Comment, make notes, make explanatory remarks. III. v. a. 1. Varnish, make lustrous. 2. Extenuate, palliate, color, apologize for, gloss over.

Moby Thesaurus

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