iridescence
Light's rainbow shift
Iridescence is the property of surfaces that appear to shift color when viewed from different angles—like oil on water, soap bubbles, or a hummingbird's throat.
The effect comes from light waves interfering with each other rather than from pigment.
The shell's iridescence caught the light as she turned it in her hand.
Iridescent shell coating
- mother-of-pearlIridescent inner shell coating
- abaloneNacreous marine gastropod
- lustrousSoftly bright, reflective
- milkyWhitish and cloudy
creamy · translucent · silky · smooth · moonstone · labradorite · pearl · shell
Faint, wavering light
- sparkleEmit flashing light
- twinkleShine with flickering light
- glintBrief bright reflection
- gleamFaint reflected light
glitter · flicker · scintillation · flash · luminosity · radiance · sheen · gloss
Refracted light arc
- spectrumContinuous range of values
- spectralGhostlike or wavelength-related
- chromaticRelating to color
- polychromaticHaving many colors
multicolored · kaleidoscopic · colorful · vivid · hues · variegated · holographic · diffractive
Waves spreading past obstacles
- interferenceUnwelcome involvement in affairs
- thin-filmUltra-shallow material layer
- refractionWave bending between media
- dispersionScattering across space
wavelength · light · optical · physics · photonic · scattering · polarization · reflection
nacre
Iridescent shell coating
- mother-of-pearlIridescent inner shell coating
- abaloneNacreous marine gastropod
- lustrousSoftly bright, reflective
milky · creamy · translucent · silky · smooth · moonstone · labradorite · pearl · shell · mollusk
glimmer
Faint, wavering light
gleam · glitter · flicker · scintillation · flash · luminosity · radiance · sheen · gloss · shine
rainbow
Refracted light arc
polychromatic · multicolored · kaleidoscopic · colorful · vivid · hues · variegated · holographic · diffractive · refracted
diffraction
Waves spreading past obstacles
- interferenceUnwelcome involvement in affairs
- thin-filmUltra-shallow material layer
- refractionWave bending between media
dispersion · wavelength · light · optical · physics · photonic · scattering · polarization · reflection · surface
peacock
Ornate pheasant relative
- butterflyWinged insect from caterpillar
- beetleHard-winged insect
- hummingbirdSmall nectar-feeding hoverer
dragonfly · scarab · magpie · starling · grackle · fish-scales · wing · feather · insect · tropical
film
Movie or coating
anodized · titanium · bismuth · oxidized · metallic · glass · crystal · lacquer · enamel · dichroic
- lightsunlight, daylight, shine, rays, moonlight
- glowglow, gleam, glimmer, shimmer, radiance
- light effectsshine, glow, gleam, shimmer, glitter
- light phenomenarainbow, refraction, diffraction, spectrum, prism
- sheenluster, shine, gloss, sheen, gleam
- visual qualitiescolor, hue, saturation, brightness, lightness
iridescencepigmentation
Natural tissue coloring
matte finish · solid color · flat color · monochrome · non-reflective
- iridescent blue
- iridescent wingsLight-refracting flight surfaces
- iridescent feathersColor-shifting bird covering
- iridescent cloudsLight-diffracting atmospheric moisture
- iridescent shellLustrous bivalve covering