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Origin and history of luster

luster(n.1)

"gloss, radiance, quality of shining by reflecting light," 1520s, from French lustre "gloss, radiance" (14c.), common Romanic (cognates: Spanish and Portuguese lustre, Rumanian lustru, Italian lustro "splendor, brilliancy"), a noun ultimately from Latin lustrare "spread light over, brighten, illumine," which is related to lustrum "purification" (from PIE *leuk-stro-, suffixed form of root *leuk- "light, brightness").

Especially "quality of glossiness or radiance in a textile material or fabric." Figurative meaning "radiant beauty" is from c. 1600; that of "splendor, renown" is from 1550s. Lusterware, also lustre-ware, "stoneware or crockery having surface ornamentations in metallic colors," is attested by 1820.

luster(n.2)

"one who feels intense longing desire," 1590s, agent noun from lust (v.).

also from 1590s

Entries linking to luster

lust(v.)

c. 1200, "to wish, to desire eagerly," from lust (n.), absorbing or replacing the older verb, Old English lystan (see list (v.4)). In Middle English also "to please, delight." Sense of "to have an intense, especially sexual, desire (for or after)" is first attested 1520s in biblical use. Related: Lusted; lusting.

lackluster(adj.)

also lack-luster, c. 1600, "dull, wanting brightness" (originally of eyes), first attested in "As You Like It," from lack (v.) + luster (n.1).

Combinations in lack- once were common: Shakespeare alone also has lack-love, lack-beard for a youth, lack-brain "one deficient in understanding," lack-linen "beggarly." Outside Shakespeare there was lackland (1590s), of a landless man; lack-Latin (1530s), of an ignorant priest; lack-learning (1590s), lack-wit (Dryden), lack-thought (1829), lack-life (1889), and the comprehensive lack-all (Carlyle, 1850). A 14c. document has pens-lac "pence-lack" for "poverty."

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splendor
early 15c., splendoure, "radiance, great brilliance; source of magnificence or excellence," from Old French splendor, splendour (12c.), Anglo-French esplendour, and directly from Latin splendor "brilliance, brightness," from splendere "be bright, shine" (see splendid). By 1610s a
sheen
"shining, luster, brightness, splendor" 1602 (in "Hamlet" iii.2), noun use of adjective sheene "beautiful, bright," from Old English scene, sciene "beautiful; bright, brilliant," from Proto-Germanic *skauniz "conspicuous" (source also of Old Frisian skene, Middle Dutch scone, Dut
margarin
So called for the luster of the crystals. Now discarded in this sense as a chemical term, but preserved in margarine....
anthracite
Deep black with a brilliant luster, it is nearly pure carbon and burns almost without a flame and formerly was mined extensively...
brilliant
"sparkling with light or luster," 1680s, from French brilliant "sparkling, shining" present participle of briller "to shine...
tarnish
mid-15c. ternishen, "become tarnished; discolor," from Old French terniss-, present-participle stem of ternir "dull the luster...
gloss
The other verb, meaning "to add luster, make smooth and shining," is from 1650s, from gloss (n.1)....
result
early 15c., resulten, "occur as a result, arise as a consequence of facts, arguments, etc.," from Latin resultare "to spring forward, rebound" (in Medieval Latin "to result"), a frequentative from the past participle of resilire "to rebound" (see resilience). The etymological sen
rustle
"to emit soft, rapid sounds when in motion," late 14c. (implied in rustling "moving about noisily"), a word of uncertain origin, perhaps imitative (compare Middle Low German ruschen, Middle Dutch ruusscen, German rauschen "to rustle"). Related: Rustled; rustling. The meaning "ste
sutler
formerly also suttler, "person who follows an army to sell provisions, liquor, etc. to soldiers," 1580s, from Middle Dutch soeteler "small tradesman, peddler, victualer, camp cook" (Dutch zoetelaar), cognate with Middle Low German suteler, sudeler "person who performs dirty tasks

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