opalescence
Pearly light play
Opalescence is a milky, iridescent quality—the way light scatters through certain materials to produce a soft, shifting play of colors.
Opals exhibit it, as do some glass, gemstones, and liquids.
The word describes any surface or substance with that pearly, luminous shimmer: the opalescence of the morning fog, the opalescence of her skin in the half-light.
Gleaming with wavering light
- lustrousSoftly bright, reflective
- pearlyResembling mother-of-shell
- nacreousResembling pearl's iridescence
- milkyWhitish and cloudy
luminous · glimmering · gleaming · prismatic · rainbow · spectral · play-of-color · holographic
Drinking containers of silica
Iridescent feldspar gemstone
- cabochonDomed, unfaceted gemstone
- play-of-colorInternal spectral shifting
- lapidaryWorker of precious stones
- gemstoneOrnamental cut mineral
mineralogy · faceting · silica · hydrated · matrix · doublet · triplet · pinfire
Whitish and cloudy
- cloudyObscured by atmosphere
- hazyUnclear, indistinct
- semi-transparentPartially permitting light passage
- frostedCovered with icy film
diaphanous · ethereal · gossamer · veiled · gauzy · filmy · pellucid · turbid
Waves spreading past obstacles
- refractionWave bending between media
- scatteringDistribution in many directions
- interferenceUnwelcome involvement in affairs
- lightVisible electromagnetic radiation
wavelength · spectrum · dispersion · coherence · thin-film · photonic · transmission · microstructure
shimmering
Gleaming with wavering light
- lustrousSoftly bright, reflective
- pearlyResembling mother-of-shell
- nacreousResembling pearl's iridescence
milky · luminous · glimmering · gleaming · prismatic · rainbow · spectral · play-of-color · holographic · dichroic
glassware
Drinking containers of silica
moonstone
Iridescent feldspar gemstone
- cabochonDomed, unfaceted gemstone
- play-of-colorInternal spectral shifting
- lapidaryWorker of precious stones
gemstone · mineralogy · faceting · silica · hydrated · matrix · doublet · triplet · pinfire · harlequin
milky
Whitish and cloudy
- cloudyObscured by atmosphere
- hazyUnclear, indistinct
- semi-transparentPartially permitting light passage
frosted · diaphanous · ethereal · gossamer · veiled · gauzy · filmy · pellucid · turbid · nebulous
diffraction
Waves spreading past obstacles
- refractionWave bending between media
- scatteringDistribution in many directions
- interferenceUnwelcome involvement in affairs
light · wavelength · spectrum · dispersion · coherence · thin-film · photonic · transmission · microstructure · lattice
mother-of-pearl
Iridescent inner shell coating
- abaloneNacreous marine gastropod
- nacreIridescent shell coating
- molluskSoft-bodied invertebrate, often shelled
seashell · pearl · clamshell · conch · nautilus · bivalve · oyster · mussel · inlay
opalescencetransparency
State of being see-through
clarity · pellucidity · limpidity · clearness · glassiness
opalescencedullness
Lack of stimulation
flatness · matte finish · plainness · matteness · uniformity