| 1. | a superficial luster or shine; glaze: the gloss of satin. |
| 2. | a false or deceptively good appearance. |
| 3. | Also, glosser. a cosmetic that adds sheen or luster, esp. one for the lips. |
| 4. | to put a gloss upon. |
| 5. | to give a false or deceptively good appearance to: to gloss over flaws in the woodwork. |

| 1. | an explanation or translation, by means of a marginal or interlinear note, of a technical or unusual expression in a manuscript text. |
| 2. | a series of verbal interpretations of a text. |
| 3. | a glossary. |
| 4. | an artfully misleading interpretation. |
| 5. | to insert glosses on; annotate. |
| 6. | to place (a word) in a gloss. |
| 7. | to give a specious interpretation of; explain away (often fol. by over or away): to gloss over a serious problem with a pat solution. |
| 8. | to make glosses. |

| var. of glosso- before a vowel: glossectomy. |
gloss 1 (glôs, glŏs) n.
v. tr.
To become shiny or lustrous. [Perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Icelandic glossi, a spark; see ghel-2 in Indo-European roots.] |
glosso- or gloss-
pref.
Tongue: glossospasm.
| GLOSS Global Sea Level Observing System |