gloss.

1. A brief explanation of a word or passage, especially one added beside a text.

2. A smooth, reflective shine on a surface.

3. A polished account that makes something appear better or simpler than it really is.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• a marginal gloss
• a gloss on the text

On the page

A marginal gloss supplied the local meaning of a term the translator had missed.

Usage notes

Primary category: analysis / argumentation / evidence. Forms: Explanatory note and polished account: singular gloss, plural glosses. Surface-shine sense usually uncountable. Verb forms: gloss, glosses, glossed, glossed, glossing. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: interpretation, description. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: glosses.