Surprisngly, these are quite different words. Both are adjectives, and they both have noun forms (fluourescence/florescence) and verb forms (fluoresce/floresce). Fluorescent describes two kinds of things that shine or glow with their own light: (1) natural things which give off light, such as fireflies, deep sea fish, some bacteria, and some minerals; and (2) anything which […]

Gilt is the past participle of the verb to gild, so describing something covered with a thin layer of gold, or other superficial decoration: Some walls of the Hermitage castle in St. Petersburg are covered with gilt carvings. Gilt can also be used as a noun meaning “decoration” or “superficial beauty.” Guilt, on the other hand, means “the […]

Both of these words originate from the medieval period of European history. Gild is a verb meaning “to put a thin layer of gold, or an attractive appearance, on something.” Originally, gild referred specifically to gold (the origin of the word’s sound) and is still used this way. However, nowadays, one can also use gild metaphorically, such as […]

The nouns habitant and inhabitant can be used in the same way, but habitant is archaic and rarely used anymore. Habitant and inhabitant both refer to people or other creatures who live in a certain location, or within a certain container:         The inhabitants of the tent were a young couple.         The inhabitants of Oregon face terrible danger from wildfires. Habitant also has […]

All of these words are adjectives (not adverbs, despite the -ly ending). Grisly means “causing a feeling of horror or disgust,” such as images or stories of violence and disease. The root of the word—gris—originally meant fear. Gristly describes gristle, or rather meat containing gristle; gristle is the hard, stringy, chewy material, made mostly of cartilage, found […]