radiant

Where does the word "radiant" come from? It comes from Latin radiare, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).

Radiant’s story begins in Latin: radiare meant “to shine, to emit rays.” To shine, to emit rays, from radius (a ray, a spoke). It reached English by 1400s as radiant. Settled as the English word for something emitting light brightly. Today, radiant means emitting light brightly, or glowing with health, joy, or love.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient radiare "to shine, to emit rays", to shine, to emit rays, from radius (a ray, a spoke).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1400s radiant "emitting light brightly, or glowing with joy", settled as the English word for something emitting light brightly.