What is a gloss?

A gloss is a term with several related meanings, but at its core it refers to either a shiny surface layer or an explanatory layer added to text. In the most everyday sense, a gloss is a shine, luster, or reflective finish. For example, paint gloss measures how shiny the paint is, lip gloss adds shine to lips, and a gloss finish on paper is shiny and reflective. In academic, literary, and linguistic contexts, a gloss is a brief explanation, definition, translation, or annotation of a difficult, archaic, or foreign word or passage, often written between lines or in the margin of a manuscript. Medieval manuscripts are famous for their glosses where monks explained Latin texts. A glossary is a collection of such explanations. In linguistics, interlinear glossing is used to show the grammatical structure of sentences in other languages. As a verb, to gloss means to provide such an explanation, and to gloss over means to minimize or hide a problem. In law, a gloss is an interpretation added to a statute through long practice. So whether physical or intellectual, a gloss is an added layer that makes something shinier or clearer.