The love of things shiny and sparkly isn’t a modern invention — “coruscate,” a verb meaning “flash or sparkle” can be traced back to the Latin verb “coruscare,” meaning “to glitter.” This verb refers to a glittering light, such as flashes of sunlight on the water, or flickering candlelight through a window. The word “glitter” has a different etymology — it comes from the Old Norse word “glitra,” which means “to sparkle,” likely referring to the glitter of mineral deposits such as mica.