The Spanish verb 'brillar' (to shine or sparkle) has a fascinating connection to gemstones. It traces back to the Ancient Greek word 'beryllos', which referred to the beryl gemstone. This word was borrowed into Latin as 'beryllus', keeping the same meaning. In Medieval Latin, they created a new verb 'berillare' meaning 'to shine like beryl', drawing on the natural sparkle and luster of the gemstone. This then evolved into Italian 'brillare', where the 'ber-' sound simplified to 'bri-', and finally made its way into Spanish as 'brillar', maintaining the meaning of 'to shine' or 'sparkle'.

Some common related Spanish words include 'brillo' (shine, brightness), 'brillante' (brilliant, shining), and 'brillantina' (hair gloss). All these words share the same gemstone-derived root and relate to concepts of shininess and sparkle.

English speakers might recognize the connection to words like 'brilliant', 'brilliance', and even 'beryl'. While 'brilliant' and 'brilliance' followed a similar path through French and share the meaning of brightness or sparkle, 'beryl' comes more directly from the original Greek word and still refers to the gemstone that started this whole etymological journey. The connection between gems and brightness has remained strong in both languages!