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gloss2

Pronunciation: /glɒs/

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Definition of gloss

noun

a translation or explanation of a word or phrase.
an explanation, interpretation, or paraphrase of a text:the chapter acts as a helpful gloss on Pynchon’s general method

verb

[with object]

provide an explanation, interpretation, or paraphrase for (a text, word, etc.): the Japanese word often glossed as ‘sincerity’ really means something different
[no object] (gloss on/upon) archaic make comments, especially unfavourable ones, about (something): those laws, which they assumed the liberty of interpreting and glossing upon

Origin:

mid 16th century: alteration of the noun gloze, from Old French glose (see gloze), suggested by medieval Latin glossa 'explanation of a difficult word', from Greek glōssa 'word needing explanation, language, tongue'

gloss in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of gloss in the US English dictionary

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