gloss
n. C / Un. a smooth, shiny surface that reflects light. It can also mean a special paint or liquid that makes something look bright and polished.
n. a surface quality characterized by high reflectivity and smoothness. Often refers to a type of paint or finish that creates a lustrous appearance.
The new car has a beautiful silver gloss.
She chose a high gloss finish for the kitchen cabinets to make the small room feel brighter.
The photographer used a specific lighting technique to emphasize the natural gloss of the silk fabric, creating a sense of luxury in the final image.
Probably from a North Germanic language, compare Icelandic glossi (“spark, flame”), glossa (“to flame”); or perhaps from dialectal Dutch gloos (“a glow, flare”), related to West Frisian gloeze (“a glow”), Middle Low German glȫsen (“to smoulder, glow”), German glosen (“to smoulder”); ultimately from Proto-Germanic glus- (“to glow, shine”), from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰel- (“to flourish; be green or yellow”). More at glow.
From Middle English glosse, glose, from Late Latin glōssa (“obsolete or foreign word requiring explanation”), from Ancient Greek γλῶσσα (glôssa, “language”). Doublet of glossa.
From Middle English glossen, glosen, from Old French gloser and Medieval Latin glossāre.
Uncountable when referring to the general quality of shine; countable when referring to a specific type of paint or a specific instance of a shiny surface.