Sunday Rest - refulgent.

Sometimes it's hard to work out whether an ugly word really is ugly, or whether it's tainted by its meaning. It's clear enough with words like echidna, than which of course nothing could be more delightful, but how about last week's dirge?

And why are some beautiful things given ugly names? Like refulgent.

Refulgent means shining, so why does it sound as if it means belching?

Ah well, only tin-eared show-offs use this one, anyway.

Word Not To Use Today: refulgent. This word is from the Latin word refulgēre, which means to shine brightly.

So that's one more thing the Romans did for us.