name
Meaning 1
A surname from German.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
luster
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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General-American: /ˈlʌstɚ/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ʌstə(ɹ)
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CMU ARPABET: L AH1 S T ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
The ability or condition of shining with reflected light; sheen, gleam, gloss, sparkle, shine, etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, countable, uncountable
Examples
- metallic luster
- pearly luster
- the diamond’s luster
- 2001, James Wood, Introduction to Saul Bellow, Collected Stories, New York: Viking, p. xvii, Curiously enough, the stream of consciousness, for all its reputation as the great accelerator of description, actually slows down realism, asks it to dawdle over tiny remembrances, tiny details and lusters, to circle and return.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
The ability or condition of shining with reflected light; sheen, gleam, gloss, sparkle, shine, etc.
The way in which the surface of any particular type of mineral reflects light differently from other minerals, which is helpful in telling minerals apart.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, countable, uncountable
Topics: geography, geology, natural-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
Shining light from within, luminosity, brightness, shine.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, countable, figuratively, uncountable
Examples
- the sun’s luster
- the luster of the minor stars
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
Shining beauty, splendor, attractiveness or attraction.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, countable, figuratively, uncountable
Examples
- After so many years in the same field, the job had lost its luster.
- 1970, S.Y. Agnon, "Agunot" in Twenty-One Stories, New York: Schocken Books, p. 30, Their days of rest are wrested from them, their feasts are fasts, their lot is dust instead of luster.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
Shining fame, renown, glory.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, countable, figuratively, uncountable
Examples
- After the scandal, the idol lost his luster and could only get work in Vegas.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
Polish, social refinement.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, countable, figuratively, uncountable
Examples
- Sure, the posh git spoke with fine lustre. ’S all a load of bollocks, though, innit?
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 8
A thing exhibiting luster, particularly
Any shining body or thing.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, countable, literary, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 9
A thing exhibiting luster, particularly
A piece of glass added to a light (especially a chandelier) to increase its luster.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 10
A thing exhibiting luster, particularly
An ornamental light providing luster, especially a chandelier.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 11
A thing exhibiting luster, particularly
A substance that imparts luster to a surface, such as polish, gloss, plumbago, glaze, etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 12
A thing exhibiting luster, particularly
The layer of an object that imparts luster, chiefly with regard to ceramics.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 13
A thing exhibiting luster, particularly
Clipping of lusterware: highly lustrous ceramics.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 14
A thing exhibiting luster, particularly
A kind of lustrous fabric with a wool weft and cotton, linen, or silk warp, chiefly used for women's dresses.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 15
A thing exhibiting luster, particularly
A glory, an act or thing that imparts fame or renown.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, countable, obsolete, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 16
Alternative form of lustrum: A five-year period, especially (historical) in Roman contexts.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, alt-of, alternative
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 17
One who lusts, one inflamed with lust.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, archaic
Examples
- 1867–1872, Ante-Nicene Christian Library, Testimonies against the Jews Neither fornicators, nor those who serve idols, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor the lusters after mankind [...] shall obtain the kingdom of God.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 18
Synonym of den: a dwelling-place in a wilderness, especially for animals.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: den
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 19
To have luster, to gleam, to shine.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, archaic, intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 20
To gain luster, to become lustrous.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, archaic, intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 21
To give luster, particularly
To make illustrious or attractive, to distinguish.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, obsolete, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 22
To give luster, particularly
To coat with a lustrous material or glaze, to impart physical luster to an object.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 23
To shed light on, to illustrate, to show.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, obsolete, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 24
Synonym of lustrate, particularly
Synonym of purify, to ritually cleanse or renew.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, obsolete, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: purify, to ritually cleanse or renew
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 25
Synonym of lustrate, particularly
Synonym of look, to look over, to survey.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, obsolete, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: look, to look over, to survey
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 26
a surface coating for ceramics or porcelain
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: lustre
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: glaze
noun
Meaning 27
the visual property of something that shines with reflected light
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: shininess, sheen, lustre
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: radiance, radiancy, shine, effulgence, refulgence, refulgency
noun
Meaning 28
a quality that outshines the usual
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: lustre, brilliancy, splendor, splendour
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: brightness
History
Etymology
Borrowed from German Luster or, possibly, a variant of Lester.
From Middle French lustre, from Old Italian lustro, from Old Italian lustrare (“brighten”), from Latin lūstrō (“to purify, to brighten”), from Latin lūstrum (“purification ritual”).
From Middle English lustre, from Latin lustrum, from Old Latin *loustrom, of uncertain origin. More at lustrum.
Etymology tree English lust Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English luster From lust + -er.
From Latin lustra (“wilds, woods”).
Across languages
Translations
106 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Arabic: إشْراق — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Armenian: փայլ (pʻayl) — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Bulgarian: блясък (bljasǎk) — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Bulgarian: гланц (glanc) — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Chinese Mandarin: 光澤 /光泽 (guāngzé) — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Chinese Mandarin: 光彩 (guāngcǎi) — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Czech: lesk — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Dutch: glans — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Dutch: schittering — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Esperanto: poluro — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Finnish: kiilto — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Finnish: loiste — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Finnish: hohde — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Finnish: hohto — a shine, polish or sparkle
- French: lustre — a shine, polish or sparkle
- French: éclat — a shine, polish or sparkle
- German: Glanz — a shine, polish or sparkle
- German: Lüster — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Hawaiian: hinuhinu — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Hindi: आभा (ābhā) — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Hindi: चमक (camak) — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Indonesian: kilau — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Japanese: 光沢 (kōtaku) — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Plautdietsch: Schien — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Polish: połysk — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Russian: блеск (blesk) — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Russian: лоск (losk) — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Russian: глянец (gljanec) — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Russian: сияние (sijanije) — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Serbo-Croatian: сја̑ј — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Serbo-Croatian: сијање — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Serbo-Croatian: лу̀стер — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Serbo-Croatian: sjȃj — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Serbo-Croatian: sijanje — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Serbo-Croatian: lùster — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Spanish: lustre — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Tahitian: hinuhinu — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Turkish: parıltı — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Volapük: nid — a shine, polish or sparkle
- Arabic: جاذِبيّة — brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- Armenian: փայլ (pʻayl) — brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- Armenian: շուք (šukʻ) — brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- Chinese Mandarin: 光彩 (guāngcǎi) — brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- Chinese Mandarin: 魅力 (mèilì) — brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- Czech: lesk — brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- Czech: zářivost — brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- Dutch: luister — brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- Dutch: glans — brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- Dutch: splendeur — brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- Finnish: hohto — brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- French: éclat — brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- Hawaiian: hinuhinu — brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- Hindi: वैभव (vaibhav) — brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- Hindi: तेज (tej) — brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- Hindi: प्रताप (pratāp) — brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- Hindi: भव्यता (bhavyatā) — brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- Hindi: सुषमा (suṣmā) — brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- Old Irish: lí — brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- Japanese: 魅力 (miryoku) — brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- Northern Kurdish: şemedan — brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- Polish: splendor — brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- Portuguese: lustre — brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- Spanish: lustre — brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- Tahitian: hinuhinu — brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- Turkish: fer — brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- Uzbek: qandril — brilliance, attractiveness or splendor
- Albanian: famë — refinement, polish or quality
- Arabic: تَهْذِيب (tahḏīb) — refinement, polish or quality
- Arabic: رِقّة — refinement, polish or quality
- Bulgarian: бля́сък (bljásǎk) — refinement, polish or quality
- Czech: lesk — refinement, polish or quality
- Dutch: lustrum — refinement, polish or quality
- Esperanto: jarkvino — refinement, polish or quality
- Esperanto: pendlumigilo — refinement, polish or quality
- Finnish: loisto — refinement, polish or quality
- Finnish: loiste — refinement, polish or quality
- French: lustre — refinement, polish or quality
- Galician: brillo — refinement, polish or quality
- German: Lüster — refinement, polish or quality
- German: Glanz — refinement, polish or quality
- Greek: λάμψη (lámpsi) — refinement, polish or quality
- Hebrew: מאור (mâ'ôr) — refinement, polish or quality
- Hindi: चमक (camak) — refinement, polish or quality
- Hindi: आभा (ābhā) — refinement, polish or quality
- Hungarian: fénylés — refinement, polish or quality
- Hungarian: ragyogás — refinement, polish or quality
- Indonesian: kilau — refinement, polish or quality
- Italian: lustro — refinement, polish or quality
- Japanese: 洗練 (senren) — refinement, polish or quality
- Persian: درخشش — refinement, polish or quality
- Portuguese: lustre — refinement, polish or quality
- Romanian: lustru — refinement, polish or quality
- Russian: блеск (blesk) — refinement, polish or quality
- Spanish: lustre — refinement, polish or quality
- Turkish: parıltı — refinement, polish or quality
- Turkish: parlaklık — refinement, polish or quality
- Vietnamese: ánh — refinement, polish or quality
- Bulgarian: блестя (blestja) — to have luster
- Dutch: glanzen — to have luster
- Dutch: glimmen — to have luster
- Dutch: stralen — to have luster
- Finnish: kiiltää — to have luster
- Spanish: brillar — to have luster
- Dutch: opluisteren — to give luster
- Finnish: kiillottaa — to give luster
- Spanish: lustrar — to give luster