ˌirəˈdes ə n(t)s noun
( -s )
Etymology: irid- + -escence
1. : a play of structural colors producing rainbow effects that is exhibited in various bodies as a result of interference in a thin film (as of a soap bubble or mother-of-pearl) or of diffraction of light reflected from a closely ribbed or corrugated surface (as of the plumage of certain birds) and is readily distinguished from the inherent colors of substances by its variation with the angle of incidence of the illumination
2. : a display or effect suggestive of the play of colors on an iridescent surface in gleaming or glistening or in subtly shifting and changing shades and hues
paled before the iridescence of the best of his earlier plays — Americana Annual
a certain iridescence of glamor and superiority — Margaret Landon
no apple tang, no citrous clarity, but the iridescence of the papaya, the opaline evanescence of the guava — Waldo Frank
: glitter , sheen , luster , opalescence