1. Shining or lustrous; brilliant.
2. Admired by many; illustrious.

[Middle English, from Old French esplendent, from Latin splendēns, splendent-, present participle of splendēre, to shine.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.