Bright light emitted or reflected by something, or a quality of glowing happiness and health in someone's appearance.
From Latin 'radiare' meaning 'to shine' or 'emit rays', from 'radius' meaning 'ray' or 'spoke'. The word combines physical and metaphorical brightness.
Radiance beautifully bridges the physical and emotional - we use the same word to describe both sunlight streaming through windows and the glow on a happy person's face. This isn't just poetic; research shows that positive emotions actually cause measurable changes in skin tone and muscle tension that create a literal 'glow' that others can perceive.
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