Bbrightness or luster of a body proceeding from a smooth surface; polish; as, the gloss of silk; cloth is calendered to give it a gloss. It is no part . . . to set on the face of this cause any fairer gloss than the naked truth doth afford. Hooker.
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.
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.
A foreign, archaic, technical, or other uncommon word requiring explanation. [Obs.]
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.
A false or specious explanation. Dryden.
To render clear and evident by comments; to illustrate; to explain; to annotate.
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.
To make comments; to comment; to explain. Dryden.
To make sly remarks, or insinuations. Prior.
98,828 entries. Headwords are matched first, then definition text.