Splendid

How to spell splendid

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce splendid

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does splendid mean?

1. adjectiveExtremely good, impressive, or magnificent.

Splendid in a sentence

• The team did a splendid job finishing the report ahead of schedule.

• They enjoyed a splendid view of the harbour from the hotel balcony.

Where does splendid come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin splendidus, meaning 'bright', 'shining', or 'brilliant', which was formed from the verb splendere, literally 'to shine' or 'to gleam'. Latin writers used the word both for literal brightness and for the figurative dazzle of wealth, magnificence, and distinction, and English took up both shades when it borrowed the word in the early 1600s. The same splendere root sits behind the related English words 'splendour' and 'resplendent', all of them carrying the idea of something that catches the light. Over time the everyday English sense softened into a warm, all-purpose term of approval meaning simply 'excellent' or 'very good'. The spelling stays close to its Latin source, so the trap is mostly the final '-id' rather than the more familiar '-ed' an English speaker might expect.

How the word is built

• splend- (from Latin splendere: to shine, be bright)
• -id (adjective suffix)