the.com/glossy
the surface that lies about depth, reflecting everything except the truth beneath.
means Having a smooth, shiny surface that catches and reflects light — or, by extension, looking polished and attractive in a slick, superficial way.
from From 'gloss,' the word for a lustrous sheen, which arrived in English around the late 1500s — likely from a Scandinavian source (compare Icelandic 'glossi,' a flame or glow), part of a wide Germanic family of 'gl-' words for shining things: glow, gleam, glitter, glass. The '-y' simply turns the shine into a quality. Note this is a different 'gloss' from the one meaning a marginal note or explanation, which comes via Latin from Greek 'glossa,' tongue or language — the two only look like twins.
- physics
- smooth surfaces bounce light back uniformly, killing scatter
- magazines
- glossy paper costs more, sells aspiration by the pound
- makeup
- lip gloss adds light, fakes a fuller pout
- finish wars
- matte and glossy split designers into rival camps
vogue magazine — high-gloss fashion publication founded in 1892, known for its shiny paper stock and luxury aesthetic
apple iphone screen — glossy retina display on original iphones 2g-3gs, before matte options in 2009
hot topic store aesthetic — retail chain famous for glossy black fixtures and reflective surfaces since 1989