gloss

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A surface shininess or luster.
2. n. A cosmetic that adds shine or luster.
3. n. A superficially or deceptively attractive appearance.
4. v. To give a bright sheen or luster to.
5. v. To make attractive or acceptable by deception or superficial treatment: a resumé that glossed over the applicant's lack of experience. See Synonyms at palliate.
6. v. To become shiny or lustrous.
7. n. A brief explanatory note or translation of a difficult or technical expression usually inserted in the margin or between lines of a text or manuscript.
8. n. A collection of such notes; a glossary.
9. n. An extensive commentary, often accompanying a text or publication.
10. n. A purposefully misleading interpretation or explanation.
11. v. To provide (an expression or a text) with a gloss or glosses.
12. v. To give a false interpretation to.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A superficial lustrous smoothness, with soft changing reflections, due to the nature of the material, as distinguished from polish, which is artificially produced; in general, any glistening smoothness, natural or artificial: as, the gloss of satin, of hair, of paint, etc.
2. n. Hence External show; a specious appearance or representation.
3. To give a superficial luster to; make smooth and shining: as, to gloss cloth; to gloss a horse's coat.
4. Hence To impart a specious appearance to; hide under a smooth false show.
5. n. A word in the text of an author, especially a foreign author, requiring explanation.
6. n. The explanation, translation, or definition of such a word; an explanatory note or remark upon some word or passage in a text, especially one written in the margin, or, as was the practice with the earliest glosses, between the lines. Such glosses, usually as explanations of Latin, Greek, or Hebrew words in the vernacular Teutonic, Celtic, or Romanic tongues, or as Latin equivalents of words in these tongues, abound in medieval literature, and are philologically among its most important remains.
7. n. Hence An artfully misleading or false explanation.
8. To explain by a gloss or marginal note; translate; hence, to render clear and evident by comments; illustrate; comment upon.
9. Hence To give a specious appearance to; render specious and plausible; palliate by fabricated representation.
10. To comment; write or make explanatory remarks.
11. n. In leather manufacturing, a preparation which gives leather its final polish or finish.
12. n. An abbreviation of glossary.

Wiktionary

1. n. uncountable A surface shine or luster/lustre
2. n. uncountable, figuratively A superficially or deceptively attractive appearance
3. v. transitive To give a gloss or sheen to.
4. v. transitive To make (something) attractive by deception
5. v. intransitive To become shiny.
6. n. countable A brief explanatory note or translation of a difficult or complex expression, usually inserted in the margin or between lines of a text.
7. n. countable A glossary; a collection of such notes.
8. n. countable An extensive commentary on some text.
9. n. countable A deliberately misleading explanation.
10. n. countable A brief explanation in speech or in a written work, including a synonym used with the intent of indicating the meaning of the word to which it is applied
11. n. countable (law, US) An interpretation by a court of specific point within a statute or case law
12. v. transitive To add a gloss to (a text).
13. v. transitive To give a deliberately false interpretation of.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. Brightness or luster of a body proceeding from a smooth surface; polish.
2. n. A specious appearance; superficial quality or show.
3. v. To give a superficial luster or gloss to; to make smooth and shining.
4. n. obsolete A foreign, archaic, technical, or other uncommon word requiring explanation.
5. n. An interpretation, consisting of one or more words, interlinear or marginal; an explanatory note or comment; a running commentary.
6. n. A false or specious explanation.
7. v. To render clear and evident by comments; to illustrate; to explain; to annotate.
8. v. To give a specious appearance to; to render specious and plausible; to palliate by specious explanation.
9. v. To make comments; to comment; to explain.
10. v. To make sly remarks, or insinuations.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. an explanation or definition of an obscure word in a text
2. v. provide interlinear explanations for words or phrases
3. v. provide an interlinear translation of a word or phrase
4. v. give a shine or gloss to, usually by rubbing
5. n. an outward or token appearance or form that is deliberately misleading
6. n. an alphabetical list of technical terms in some specialized field of knowledge; usually published as an appendix to a text on that field
7. n. the property of being smooth and shiny
8. v. give a deceptive explanation or excuse for