"Every chandelier or lustre, muffled in Holland, looked like a monstrous tear depending from the ceiling's eye. "
Another word with several meanings. Here it means candlestick.
Luster \Lus"ter\, Lustre \Lus"tre\, n. [F. lustre; cf. It.
lustro; both fr. L. lustrare to purify, go about (like the
priests at the lustral sacrifice), traverse, survey,
illuminate, fr. lustrum a purificatory sacrifice; perh. akin
to E. loose. But lustrare to illuminate is perh. a different
word, and akin to L. lucere to be light or clear, to shine.
See Lucid, and cf. Illustrious, Lustrum.]
1. Brilliancy; splendor; brightness; glitter.
The right mark and very true luster of the diamond.
--Sir T. More.
The scorching sun was mounted high, In all its
luster, to the noonday sky. --Addison.
Note: There is a tendency to limit the use of luster, in this
sense, to the brightness of things which do not shine
with their own light, or at least do not blaze or glow
with heat. One speaks of the luster of a diamond, or of
silk, or even of the stars, but not often now of the
luster of the sun, a coal of fire, or the like.
2. Renown; splendor; distinction; glory.
His ancestors continued about four hundred years,
rather without obscurity than with any great luster.
--Sir H.
Wotton.
3. A candlestick, chandelier, girandole, or the like,
generally of an ornamental character. --Pope.
4. (Min.) The appearance of the surface of a mineral as
affected by, or dependent upon, peculiarities of its
reflecting qualities.
Note: The principal kinds of luster recognized are: metallic,
adamantine, vitreous, resinous, greasy, pearly, and
silky. With respect to intensity, luster is
characterized as splendent, shining, glistening,
glimmering, and dull.
5. A substance which imparts luster to a surface, as plumbago
and some of the glazes.
6. A fabric of wool and cotton with a lustrous surface, --
used for women's dresses.
Luster ware, earthenware decorated by applying to the
glazing metallic oxides, which acquire brilliancy in the
process of baking.
Luster \Lus"ter\, Lustre \Lus"tre\, v. t. [imp. & p. p.
Lustred; p. pr. & vb. n. Lustering, or Lustring.]
To make lustrous. [R. & Poetic]
Flooded and lustered with her loosened gold. --Lowell.
Lustre \Lus"tre\, n.
Same as Luster.
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