Nitency

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Grogie
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Nitency

Postby Grogie » Tue Dec 02, 2008 3:11 pm

Brightness or luster. ''Freshly polished metals have a lot of nitency.''
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Slava
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Postby Slava » Thu Sep 30, 2010 9:40 am

From a different root, but spelled and pronounced the same it means "striving, endeavor, or tendency."

One source also cites the word "renitency" for use in atmospheric writing. Since brightness and luster are reflected light, wouldn't adding re- be a bit redundant? Any weather people out there care to comment?
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Audiendus
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Postby Audiendus » Thu Sep 30, 2010 10:36 am

The only meaning I have discovered for "renitency" is "resistance to pressure" or "recalcitrance" - nothing about brightness. Both "nitency" and "renitency" seem to come from the Latin verb niti, but it is unclear how the "brightness", "striving" and "resistance" senses are related.
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Slava
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Postby Slava » Thu Sep 30, 2010 2:46 pm

Both meanings come from nitens, but nitens is a p. pr two different verbs, nitere and niti.

The atmospheric reference came from here: http://thesaurus.com/browse/atmospheric?qsrc=2446

By the by, they are both pronounced KNIT, until you get to re, which can be either KNIT or NIGHT.
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Perry
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Postby Perry » Thu Sep 30, 2010 4:41 pm

Don't leave home without your nitens.
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Slava
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Postby Slava » Thu Sep 30, 2010 5:24 pm

Don't leave home without your nitens.
Ah, good to know we can trust Perry to get to the nitty-gritty of the matter.
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.
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