lambent

adjective

1. running or moving lightly over a surface: lambent tongues of flame.
2. dealing lightly and gracefully with a subject; brilliantly playful: lambent wit.
3. softly bright or radiant: a lambent light.

adjective

1. (esp of a flame) flickering softly over a surface
2. glowing with soft radiance
3. (of wit or humour) light or brilliant

adj.1640s, from figurative use of Latin lambentem (nominative lambens), present participle of lambere “to lick,” from PIE root *lab-, indicative of smacking lips or licking (cf. Greek laptein “to sip, lick,” Old English lapian “to lick, lap up, suck;” see lap (v.1)).