gloss¹ /glos/

1. Brightness or lustre, as from a polished surface
2. External show
3. Superficial appearance

1. To make glossy
2. To give a superficial lustre to
3. To render plausible
4. To attempt to disguise by treating superficially

glossˈer noun

glossˈily adverb

glossˈiness noun

glossˈy adjective

1. Smooth and shining
2. Highly polished
3. Superficially attractive

A glossy magazine

gloss paint noun

Paint containing varnish, giving a hard, shiny finish

glossy magazine noun

A magazine of an expensive, luxury type, printed on glossy paper, with many colour photographs, illustrations and advertisements

glossy starling noun

Any of various African starlings of the Lamprotornis genus of the family Sturnidae, having dark glossy plumage

gloss over

To explain away, render more acceptable

gloss² /glos/

1. An explanation given in a margin or between lines, eg of an obscure or unusual word
2. A deceptive or intentionally misleading explanation
3. A collection of explanations of words, a glossary

1. To give a gloss on
2. To explain away

To comment or make explanatory remarks

glossāˈtor or glossˈer noun

A writer of glosses or comments, a commentator

gloss- /glos-/ or glosso- /glos-ō-, glos-ə- or glə-so-/, sometimes glotto- /glot-ō-, glot-ə- or glə-to-/

1. Denoting: the tongue
2. A tongue, language
3. A gloss (see gloss²)

glossecˈtomy noun

Surgical removal of the tongue

glossīˈtis noun

Inflammation of the tongue

glossodynia /-ō-dinˈi-ə/ noun

(Gr odynē pain) pain in the tongue

glossogˈrapher noun

glossographˈical adjective

glossogˈraphy noun

The writing of glosses or comments

glossolāˈlia noun

(Gr laleein to talk) the ‘gift of tongues’, the speaking of wholly or partly unintelligible utterances thought to form part of an unknown language or languages and considered by (esp Early) Christians to be a manifestation of the Holy Spirit

glossolāˈlic adjective

glossologˈical adjective

glossolˈogist noun

glossolˈogy noun (obsolete)

1. Comparative philology (also called glottolˈogy)
2. Terminology

glottochronolˈogy noun

A statistical study of vocabulary to determine the degree of relationship between particular languages and the chronology of their independent development

glottogonˈic adjective

Relating to the origin of language

• lawmakers
• law-man
• lawman
• law-men
• lawmen
• law-merchant
• law-merchants
• lawmonger
• lawmongers
• lawn
• lawned
• lawnier
• lawniest
• lawnmower
• lawnmowers
• lawn parties
• lawn party
• lawns
• lawn sleeves
• lawn-sprinkler
• lawn-sprinklers
• lawn tennis
• lawny
• law of averages
• law of diminishing returns