Having a changeable luster or color with an undulating narrow band of white light, like a cat's eye gem.
From French 'chatoyer' (to shimmer like a cat's eye), from 'chat' (cat). The French watched their cats' eyes gleam in firelight and named a whole optical phenomenon after them.
The French watched their cats' eyes SHIMMER in candlelight and thought: 'we need a word for that glow!' Now it describes any gem or fabric that shifts color when you move it. CATS invented a color effect! ðŸ±ðŸ’Ž
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