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)

1. A small or indistinct shaft or stream of light.

   Synonyms: beam, ray
2. (figuratively) A glimpse or hint; an indistinct sign of something.

   Synonyms: flicker, glimmer, trace

3. 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)

1. To shine; to glitter; to glisten.

   Synonyms: glint, sparkle, glow, shine

2. To be briefly but strongly apparent.

   Synonyms: flare, flash, kindle

3. (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)

1. A faint light; a dim glow.

   The glimmer of the fireflies was pleasant to watch.

2. A flash of light.
3. A faint or remote possibility.

   a glimmer of hope

4. (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)

1. (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)

1. (literary and formal) magnificence, glitter, tinsel, something that shines

   Rikdommens glimmer

   The tinsel of wealth

2. 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)

1. mica

Synonyms

• kråkesølv, mica, mikanitt

Derived terms

• glimmerskifer
• Lys glimmer = white mica (literally: “bright mica”)

References

• “glimmer” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

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