Great beauty, impressive appearance, or magnificent display, especially of light and colors.
From Old French 'splendor' and Latin 'splendere' meaning to shine or gleam. The word originally described literally shining brightness before expanding to mean any impressive beauty.
The British spelling 'splendour' (American 'splendor') keeps the older pronunciation and form—a time capsule in spelling! It's why 'splendid' means shining bright, and both words trace back to the Latin root for 'shine.'
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