Luminary

Luminary is a noun that refers to a person who inspires others. Our word of the day comes from the Latin word lumen (LOO men) which means ‘light.’ Luminary was once a word to describe a natural light-giving body, especially the sun or moon. These days when we refer to someone as a luminary, the light they give off is metaphorical and refers simply to the light of inspiration they give others. The saxophone player in the band was treated as a luminary by the others in the band, and I soon discovered why. He became an enormous influence on my life in ways that I still marvel at.