barlume

Italian

Etymology

From lume (“light source”), prefixed with bar-, itself derived from bis-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /barˈlu.me/
• Rhymes: -ume
• Hyphenation: bar‧lù‧me

Noun

barlume m (plural barlumi)

1. glimmer, flicker

   Synonyms: raggio, spiraglio, accenno, parvenza, indizio, filo, minimo

   • 2019, George Orwell, translated by Nicola Gardini, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Mondadori:

     Pensava più spesso a O'Brien, con un barlume di speranza.

     He thought oftener of O’Brien, with a flickering hope.

     (literally, “He thought more often of O'Brien, with a glimmer of hope.”)

   • 2012, John Green, translated by Giorgia Grilli, Colpa delle Stelle [The Fault in our Stars], Mondadori, page 44:

     Data la futilità finale dei nostri sforzi, l'effimero barlume di significato che l'arte ci regala ha forse un valore?

     Given the final futility of our struggle, is the fleeting jolt of meaning that art gives us valuable?

     (literally, “Given the final futility of our efforts, does the ephemeral glimmer of meaning that art gifts us maybe have a value?”)

Further reading

• barlume in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
• barlume in garzantilinguistica.it – Garzanti Linguistica, De Agostini Scuola Spa

Anagrams

• brumale, umbrale