Word Direct Answers

What does "gloss" mean?

Gloss: A specious appearance; superficial quality or show. To me more dear, congenial to my heart, One native charm than all the gloss of art. Goldsmith.

Additional senses

  1. 2.To give a superficial luster or gloss to; to make smooth and shining; as, to gloss cloth. The glossed and gleamy wave. J. R. Drake.
  2. 3.A foreign, archaic, technical, or other uncommon word requiring explanation. [Obs.]
  3. 4.An interpretation, consisting of one or more words, interlinear or marginal; an explanatory note or comment; a running commentary. All this, without a gloss or comment, He would unriddle in a moment. Hudibras. Explaining the text in short glosses. T. Baker.
  4. 5.A false or specious explanation. Dryden.
  5. 6.To render clear and evident by comments; to illustrate; to explain; to annotate.
  6. 7.To give a specious appearance to; to render specious and plausible; to palliate by specious explanation. You have the art to gloss the foulest cause. Philips.
  7. 8.To make comments; to comment; to explain. Dryden.
  8. 9.To make sly remarks, or insinuations. Prior.

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