sunburstn.
/ˈsʌnbəːst/, U.S. /ˈsənˌbərst/ 1.
a. A burst of sunlight; a sudden (esp. brief) appearance of the full sun from behind clouds.In quot. ?1815 as part of a figure of speech inspired by the standard of the Fianna; cf. quot. ?1815 at sense 2a, and the note in the etymology.
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the world > matter > light > naturally occurring light > [noun] > sunlight or sunshine > burst or spell of
sunshine1590
sun blast1622
summer-blenk1637
summer blink1641
sunburst?1815
sunbreak1826
sun flash1834
?1815 T. Moore Select. Irish Melodies No. 6. 99 When Truth,..like a sun-burst, her banner unfurl'd.
1889 ‘M. Gray’ Reproach of Annesley I. iii. i. 246 A sun-burst fell upon the violet pall.
1933 Times 18 Feb. 6/3 The water, like glass.., reflected the sunburst of gold above..us.
1988 New Q. (Canada) Winter 21 She sees her in the distance, dazzling as a sunburst, picking birds out of the air.
2014 Sunday Express (Nexis) 21 Dec. 59 Eagles soar above, clouds scud between sunbursts on golden bracken.
b. figurative and in figurative contexts.
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1816 Caledonian Mercury 1 June 'Tis she elates To sweep the field or ride the wave, A sunburst in the storm of death.
1886 H. M. Posnett Compar. Lit. iii. ii. 185 That sunburst of creative power.
1914 G. Marwood Wooing of Recluse 35 My father threw open the doors—what a sunburst of glory!
1981 M. Gallant in M. Atwood & R. Weaver Oxf. Bk. Canad. Short Stories (1986) 124 His smile, his sunburst, was wasted.
2002 New Statesman 25 Nov. 44/1 High notes that are a sunburst of warming, healing sound.
2.
a. A stylized representation of the sun and its rays as an emblem of Ireland.In Irish mythology, the sunburst was the emblem borne on the standard of the Fianna (see Fian n. 1). It was adopted by various Irish nationalist and republican movements in the 19th cent.
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?1815 T. Moore Select. Irish Melodies No. 6. 111 (note) ‘The Sun-burst’ was the fanciful name given by the ancient Irish to the Royal Banner.
1872 Gardener's Monthly July 206/1 This had the same effect on that crowd that..the Irish sunburst [would have] on the warriors of Brian Boru.
1903 Gael Aug. 257/2 The sunburst of Erin shines o'er ye.
1974 Studia Hibernica 14 107 The Fenians whose green flag often showed the harp in the middle of a sunburst.
2016 Irish Independent (Nexis) 10 May 17 The 1916 Medal is a bronze circular medal, fashioned in the form of a circle of flame representing the sunburst.
b. gen. A pattern or design having the shape of a stylized representation of the sun and its rays. Also: an object, esp. a decoration or ornament, having this shape. Cf. starburst n. 2, 3, rising sun n. 3, setting sun n. 1b.
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the world > space > relative position > inclination > divergence > [noun] > radiating > radiating figure or object
sunray1688
sunburst1867
1867 N.Y. Times 5 Aug. 6/2 The flag [of Nicaragua] has..a volcano surrounded by smaller mountains, the sunburst appearing over the tallest summit.
1894 Daily Inter Ocean (Chicago) 12 Feb. 3/2 To Alice,..a diamond sunburst and a ring.
1902 J. B. Greenough & G. L. Kittredge Words 260 It would be more logical to arrange the whole article in the form of a sunburst or a star-fish.
1973 R. Chew What Witch Left vi. 40 Katy drew a sunburst on her forehead.
2005 Palm Beach (Florida) Post (Nexis) 5 Oct. 3 c A huge logo..coolly lit by a neon-orange sunburst on the ceiling.
c. A decorative finish on the body of a stringed instrument (esp. an electric guitar) having a bright centre darkening towards the edges. Also: an instrument having such a finish. Cf. Compounds 2.
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the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > [noun] > ornamentation or decoration > an ornament > specific
moonc1385
crescent1399
Christmas1706
curly-wurlya1772
cake decoration?1847
stalactite1851
panoply1890
stalactite-work1902
sunburst1921
dabbity1923
1921 Gibson Catal. 35/2 The mahogany and sunburst—the matchless, most refined and classic of finishes.
1985 Internat. Musician June 77/1 The finish on this bass is a see-through red sunburst with a central black stripe.
1994 Gazette (Montreal) (Nexis) 25 Sept. f4 Guitar enthusiasts will love his 1959 Stratocaster Sunburst.
2005 A. St. John Clapton's Guitar xxiii. 208 If he wants to know what a shaded-top dreadnought should look like, he picks up the '37 sunburst.
Compounds
C1. General attributive.
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the world > space > relative position > inclination > divergence > [adjective] > characterized by radial divergence > radiating object
sunburst1891
1891 Zion's Herald 16 Sept. 290/7 The trimmings are of a sunburst pattern.
1909 Motor World 11 Nov. 327/2 The rear end of the hall is covered with a huge red and white sunburst effect.
1920 Glasgow Herald 29 Apr. 6 Her bouquet was of ‘sunburst’ roses.
1968 Times 27 May 6/5 The crackled sunburst effect of batik work.
2014 in N. Jabbour Groundbreaking Food Gardens 59/2 I might build the vegetable beds into a sunburst shape.
C2. Designating an object decorated with a stylized representation of the sun and its rays, or having such a shape.With quot. 1845 cf. sense 2a.
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the world > time > instruments for measuring time > clock > [adjective] > of type of clock
sidereal1767
keyless1828
Waterbury1853
long-sleeved1897
sunburst2015
1845 T. Mooney Hist. Ireland xii. 437 The intrepid Dalcassians..raised the sunburst standard of Fingal.
1927 A. E. W. Mason No Other Tiger xxiii. 260 They sold the lot—the emerald ring, the diamond sunburst ear-rings and all.
1962 M. Kelly Due to Death ix. 152 There was a sunburst window over the hairdresser's door.
1980 News & Observer (Raleigh, N. Carolina) 28 Oct. 17/7 The sun set Sunday on the familiar sunburst insignia.
2015 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 16 Sept. a19 Pop Art furniture..like the marshmallow sofa, the ball clock and the sunburst clock.
C3. Designating a pattern or style of radiating pleats on a garment or in a piece of fabric; esp. designating a series of widening pleats radiating out from the waistband of a skirt. Also: designating a garment or fabric pleated in this manner. Cf. sunray n. Compounds 1a.
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the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > sewn or ornamented textile fabric > [noun] > pleated fabric > pleat
plait1440
pinchc1450
plightc1450
pleata1529
tuck1532
lipea1600
box pleat1857
accordion pleat1884
organ pipe1890
knife-pleat1891
sunburst1897
pin tuck1902
knife-plait1911
1897 Daily Northwestern (Oshkosh, Wisconsin) 9 Feb. 1/3 Four flounces of white mull, plaited in the sunburst fashion.
1907 Vogue 7 Nov. 696/3 (advt.) We cut, seam and plait ‘Sunburst’ Skirts for $3.00.
1938 Chicago Defender 12 Mar. 14/7 One of the season's latest creations of pea green crepe, in the newest sunburst style.
2016 Glendale (California) News-Press (Nexis) 10 Apr. She fixed her signature designs on elements like sunburst pleats.
C4. Designating a decorative finish on the body of a stringed instrument (see sense 2c).
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1947 Fretted Instrument News July 2 (advt.) It is finished in highly polished, rich, dark lacquer, with sunburst shading on top.
1991 J. O'Connor Cowboys & Indians (1992) 34 It was beautiful, admittedly, a real '56 Fender strat with sunburst finish and Gretch pickups.
2017 Los Angeles Times (Nexis) 18 June f1 Hand spraying the famous sunburst finish onto a nascent Gibson Les Paul.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, January 2018; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.?1815