coruscation

[ kawr-uh-skey-shuhn, kor- ]

noun

1. the act of coruscating.
2. a sudden gleam or flash of light.
3. a striking display of brilliance or wit.

Word History and Origins

Origin of coruscation¹

First recorded in 1480–90, coruscation is from the Late Latin word coruscātiōn- (stem of coruscātiō ). See coruscate, -ion

Example Sentences

He’s also working on “an ode to hippie comics”; collaborates on light shows with Joshua White, who created the original Fillmore East blasts of coruscation back in the ’60s; and plays guitar and sings with the psychedelic rock band Twigs of Sister Tomorrow.

From New York Times

A true artist, Takahata imbues every picture with significance, from the coruscation of headlights from a moving car on the leaves of a wet bush to a minute examination of the harvesting of safflower petals for the production of rouge.

From Washington Post

In the early decades of the 20th century modernity was frequently summarised as a sort of disorienting coruscation.

From The Guardian

The Secretary, gentlemen New Lights," said Mr. Flam, adroitly availing himself of the occasion to throw off a coruscation of wit—"the Secretary lives in his reports—profound, statesmanlike, recondite and deep, his report is in my hand—it is himself!

From Project Gutenberg

Nor was the immediate effect of his two days' coruscation diminished by the tragical manner in which he contrived, at its close, to sink backward into the arms of Burke, who, transported beyond measure, hugged him as unaffectedly as if his generous and unsuspecting nature had not been duped by a mere stage trick.

From Project Gutenberg