WORD OF THE DAY: GLAUCOUS
adjective|GLAW-kus
What It Means
Glaucous as a color word can describe things of two rather different shades: a light bluish-gray or bluish-white colour, or a pale yellow-green. It can also mean “having a powdery or waxy coating that gives a frosted appearance and tends to rub off.”
// His glaucous eyes grew wide with curiosity.
// The tree’s glaucous leaves help prevent sun damage.
Examples of GLAUCOUS
“… an enchanting Mediterranean-inspired planting scheme of soft pinks, silver greys, and glaucous foliage … evoke[s] calm and relaxation.” — Joy Baker, Bedford (England) Today, 20 Feb. 2026
Did You Know?
Glaucous came to English—by way of the Latin adjective glaucus—from the Greek glaukos, meaning “gleaming” or “gray.” It has been used to describe a range of pale colours from a yellow-green to a bluish-gray. The word is often found in horticultural writing describing the pale color of the leaves of various plants as well as the powdery bloom that can be found on some fruits and leaves. Birders may also recognise the word from the names of several birds, including the glaucous gull and glaucous-winged gull so named for their partially gray plumage. The stem glauc- appears in some other English words, the most familiar of which is glaucoma, referring to a disease of the eye that can result in gradual loss of vision. Glauc- also appears in the not-so-familiar glaucope, a word used to describe someone with fair hair and blue eyes; glaucope is a companion to cyanope, the term for someone with fair hair and brown eyes.
Merriam Webster Dictionary
