glimmer
See also: Glimmer
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]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”). Doublet of glimpse. Sense 5 was coined in the 2020s in analogy to trigger.
Pronunciation
[edit]- (non-rhotic)
- (Received Pronunciation, General Australian) IPA(key): /ˈɡlɪməː/, [ˈɡlɪməː]
- (rhotic)
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈɡlɪmɚ/, [ˈɡlɪmɚ] ~ [ˈɡlɪmɹ̩]
- Rhymes: -ɪmə(ɹ)
- Hyphenation: glimm‧er
Noun
[edit]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.
- (figurative) A faint or remote possibility (as it were a flash of light).
- 1997, David Denby, “Clawless”, in New York Magazine[1], volume 30, number 42, page 52:
- After all, Harmony Korine has no more than a glimmer of talent.
- (dated, uncountable) Mica.
- (psychology, neologism) A subtle, positive micromoment that evokes feelings of joy, safety, calm, or connection.
- Synonym: comfort
- Antonym: trigger
- Coordinate term: bloomscrolling (as a positive opposite of doomscrolling)
Derived terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]faint light
|
flash of light
faint or remote possibility
Verb
[edit]glimmer (third-person singular simple present glimmers, present participle glimmering, simple past and past participle glimmered)
- (intransitive) To shine with a faint, unsteady light.
- Synonyms: flicker, glimpse, shimmer, twinkle; see also Thesaurus:glisten
- the glimmering dawn a glimmering lamp
- The fireflies glimmered in the dark.
- c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]:
- The west yet glimmers with some streaks of day.
Derived terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]to shine with a faint, unsteady light
|
Icelandic
[edit]
Etymology
[edit]Borrowed from Danish glimmer, from glimre (“to glimmer”). Cognate with glimrandi (“splendid”), which is also from Danish. False friend with English glimmer.
Noun
[edit]glimmer n (genitive singular glimmers, no plural)
- glitter (small decorative shiny particles)
- (mineralogy) mica
Declension
[edit]| singular | ||
|---|---|---|
| indefinite | definite | |
| nominative | glimmer | glimmerið |
| accusative | glimmer | glimmerið |
| dative | glimmer, glimmeri | glimmerinu |
| genitive | glimmers | glimmersins |
References
[edit]- Kristín Bjarnadóttir, editor (2002–2026), “glimmer”, in Beygingarlýsing íslensks nútímamáls [The Database of Modern Icelandic Inflection] (in Icelandic), Reykjavík: The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies
Norwegian Bokmål
[edit]
Etymology
[edit]Derived from glimre (“glitter, glisten, sparkle”). Sense 2 is from German Glimmer. Has also undergone influence from English.
Noun
[edit]glimmer m (definite singular glimmeren, uncountable)
- (literary and formal) magnificence, glitter, tinsel, something that shines
- Rikdommens glimmer ― The tinsel of wealth
- mica
- Glimmer er et mineral som lett spaltes i tynne flak.
- Mica is a mineral that easily separates into thin leaves.
Synonyms
[edit]Derived terms
[edit]- glimmerskifer
- Lys glimmer = white mica (literally: "bright mica")
References
[edit]Norwegian Nynorsk
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Derived from glimre (“glitter, glisten, sparkle”), with influence from English. The definition is from German Glimmer.
Noun
[edit]glimmer m (definite singular glimmeren, uncountable)
- mica
- Glimmer er eit mineral som lett spaltast i tynne flak.
- Mica is a mineral that easily separates into thin leaves.
Synonyms
[edit]Derived terms
[edit]- glimmerskifer
- Lys glimmer = white mica (literally: "bright mica")
References
[edit]- “glimmer” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Swedish
[edit]Etymology 1
[edit]Noun
[edit]glimmer c
Declension
[edit]| nominative | genitive | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| singular | indefinite | glimmer | glimmers |
| definite | glimmern | glimmerns | |
| plural | indefinite | — | — |
| definite | — | — |
Etymology 2
[edit]Noun
[edit]glimmer n
Declension
[edit]| nominative | genitive | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| singular | indefinite | glimmer | glimmers |
| definite | glimret | glimrets | |
| plural | indefinite | glimmer | glimmers |
| definite | glimren | glimrens |
References
[edit]- “glimmer”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
- “glimmer”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
- “glimmer”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
- glimra in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)
Categories:
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰley-
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms suffixed with -er (frequentative)
- English doublets
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/ɪmə(ɹ)
- Rhymes:English/ɪmə(ɹ)/2 syllables
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- English dated terms
- en:Psychology
- English neologisms
- English verbs
- English intransitive verbs
- English terms with collocations
- en:Light
- en:Minerals
- Icelandic terms borrowed from Danish
- Icelandic terms derived from Danish
- Icelandic lemmas
- Icelandic nouns
- Icelandic uncountable nouns
- Icelandic neuter nouns
- is:Mineralogy
- Norwegian Bokmål terms derived from German
- Norwegian Bokmål lemmas
- Norwegian Bokmål nouns
- Norwegian Bokmål uncountable nouns
- Norwegian Bokmål masculine nouns
- Norwegian Bokmål literary terms
- Norwegian Bokmål formal terms
- Norwegian Bokmål terms with usage examples
- nb:Minerals
- Norwegian Nynorsk terms derived from German
- Norwegian Nynorsk lemmas
- Norwegian Nynorsk nouns
- Norwegian Nynorsk uncountable nouns
- Norwegian Nynorsk masculine nouns
- nn:Minerals
- Norwegian Nynorsk terms with usage examples
- Swedish terms borrowed from German
- Swedish terms derived from German
- Swedish lemmas
- Swedish nouns
- Swedish common-gender nouns
- sv:Minerals
- Swedish deverbals
- Swedish neuter nouns
- Swedish terms with rare senses