gleam vs glimmer what difference
what is difference between gleam and glimmer
English
Etymology
- (noun) From Middle English gleme, from Old English glæm, from Proto-Germanic *glaimiz, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰley-.
- (verb) Derived from the Middle English noun form before the first millennium.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɡliːm/
- Rhymes: -iːm
Noun
gleam (plural gleams)
- A small or indistinct shaft or stream of light.
- Synonyms: beam, ray
- (figuratively) A glimpse or hint; an indistinct sign of something.
- Synonyms: flicker, glimmer, trace
- Brightness or shininess; splendor.
- Synonyms: dazzle, lambency, shine
Translations
Verb
gleam (third-person singular simple present gleams, present participle gleaming, simple past and past participle gleamed) (intransitive)
- To shine; to glitter; to glisten.
- Synonyms: glint, sparkle, glow, shine
- To be briefly but strongly apparent.
- Synonyms: flare, flash, kindle
- (obsolete, falconry) To disgorge filth, as a hawk.
Translations
See also
- leam
References
- “gleam”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, →ISBN.
- “gleam” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
- “gleam” in On-line Medical Dictionary, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 1997–2005.
- “gleam” in WordNet 2.0, Princeton University, 2003.
Anagrams
- Gamel, megal-
English
Etymology
From Middle English glimeren, glemeren (“to glimmer”), equivalent to glim (“to shine”) + -er (frequentative suffix). Cognate with German Low German glimmern (“to glimmer”), German glimmern (“to glimmer”), Danish glimre (“to glimmer”), Swedish glimra (“to glimmer”).
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈɡlɪmə(ɹ)/
- (US) IPA(key): /ˈɡlɪmɚ/
- Rhymes: -ɪmə(ɹ)
Noun
glimmer (countable and uncountable, plural glimmers)
- A faint light; a dim glow.
- The glimmer of the fireflies was pleasant to watch.
- A flash of light.
- A faint or remote possibility.
- a glimmer of hope
- (dated, uncountable) Mica.
Synonyms
- (flash of light): sparkle, shimmer
Translations
Verb
glimmer (third-person singular simple present glimmers, present participle glimmering, simple past and past participle glimmered)
- (intransitive) To shine with a faint, unsteady light.
- The fireflies glimmered in the dark.
- the glimmering dawn; a glimmering lamp
Synonyms
- (shine with faint unsteady light): flicker, shimmer, twinkle
Translations
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology
Derived from glimre (“glitter, glisten, sparkle”). Sense 2 is from German Glimmer. Has also undergone influence from English.
Noun
glimmer m (definite singular glimmeren, uncountable)
- (literary and formal) magnificence, glitter, tinsel, something that shines
- Rikdommens glimmer
- The tinsel of wealth
- Rikdommens glimmer
- mica
Synonyms
- (sense 1) glans, prakt, herlighet
- (sense 2) kråkesølv, mica, mikanitt
Derived terms
- glimmerskifer
- Lys glimmer = white mica (literally: “bright mica”)
References
- “glimmer” in The Ordnett Dictionary
- “glimmer” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
Derived from glimre (“glitter, glisten, sparkle”), with influence from English. The definition is from German Glimmer.
Noun
glimmer m (definite singular glimmeren, uncountable)
- mica
Synonyms
- kråkesølv, mica, mikanitt
Derived terms
- glimmerskifer
- Lys glimmer = white mica (literally: “bright mica”)
References
- “glimmer” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.