glitter

English

Etymology

From Middle English gliteren, from Old Norse glitra.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡlɪtə(ɹ)/
• IPA^(key): /ˈɡlɪtɚ/, [ˈɡlɪɾɚ]

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪtə(r)

Noun

glitter (countable and uncountable, plural glitters)

1. A bright, sparkling light; shininess or brilliance.
   • 1913, Mary Averill, Japanese flower arrangement Chapter 20

     This to them seems most like mother earth in color, and therefore best, as it is, to enhance the beauty of flowers instead of detracting from their exquisite shades. What a contrast to the glitter and show of our silver vases, which represent generally little else but their cost.

   • 1841, Charles Dickens, Barnaby Rudge Chapter 57

     As yet there had been no symptom of the news having any better foundation than in the fears of those who brought it, but The Boot had not been deserted five minutes, when there appeared, coming across the fields, a body of men who, it was easy to see, by the glitter of their arms and ornaments in the sun, and by their orderly and regular mode of advancing

2. A shiny, decorative adornment, sometimes sprinkled on glue to make simple artwork.
3. (figurative) Glitz.

Translations

bright, sparkling light; brilliant and showy luster; brilliancy

• Armenian: փայլ (hy) (pʻayl)
• Belarusian: бляск m (bljask)
• Bulgarian: бля́сък (bg) m (bljásǎk)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 閃光／闪光 (zh) (shǎnguāng), 闪光 (zh) (shǎnguāng)

• Czech: blesk (cs) m
• Finnish: välke (fi), kimallus, säihke (fi), kimmellys
• French: étincellement (fr) m
• Georgian: ბრწყინვა (brc̣q̇inva)
• Icelandic: glitur n
• Italian: glitter (it)
• Japanese: 煌めき (kirameki)
• Macedonian: бле́сок m (blésok)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Maori: korakora pīata
• Polish: blask (pl) m
• Portuguese: resplendor (pt) m
• Romanian: strălucire (ro) f
• Russian: блеск (ru) m (blesk)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: бле̑сак m, бље̑сак m, блије̑сак m

  Roman: blȇsak m, bljȇsak (sh) m, blijȇsak (sh) m

• Slovak: blesk m
• Slovene: blèsk m
• Spanish: brillo (es) m
• Swedish: glitter (sv) n
• Ukrainian: блиск (uk) m (blysk), ся́йво n (sjájvo)

shiny, decoractive adornment

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 亮片 (liàngpiàn), 金屬飾片／金属饰片, 金属饰片 (jīnshǔ shìpiàn)

• Finnish: koristehile, kimalle
• French: paillette (fr) f
• Polish: brokat (pl) m
• Portuguese: glitter (pt) m, purpurina (pt) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Romanian: sclipici n
• Spanish: purpurina (es) f
• Swedish: glitter (sv) n
• Thai: กากเพชร (th) (gàak-pét)
• Vietnamese: kim tuyến (vi)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Slovene: ^{(please verify)} bleščice
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Verb

glitter (third-person singular simple present glitters, present participle glittering, simple past and past participle glittered)

1. To sparkle with light; to shine with a brilliant and broken light or showy luster; to gleam.

   a glittering sword

   the glittering ornaments on a Christmas tree

   • (Can we date this quote by Dryden and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     The field yet glitters with the pomp of war.

2. To be showy, specious, or striking, and hence attractive.

   the glittering scenes of a court

Derived terms

• all that glitters is not gold

Translations

to sparkle with light

• Arabic: لَمَعَ (ar) (lamaʕa), بَرَقَ (ar) (baraqa)
• Bulgarian: блестя (bg) (blestja)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 閃耀／闪耀 (zh) (shǎnyào), 闪耀 (zh) (shǎnyào)

• Dutch: schitteren (nl)
• Esperanto: brileti
• Finnish: säihkyä, välkehtiä, kiiltää (fi), kimmeltää (fi), kimaltaa (fi)
• French: briller (fr)
• Georgian: ბრწყინვა (brc̣q̇inva)
• German: glitzern (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: στίλβω (stílbō)

• Icelandic: glitra
• Japanese: 輝く (ja) (かがやく, kagayaku)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latin: micō (la), fulgeō
• Lithuanian: blizgėti
• Maori: kōritorito, iraira, whakaira, rikoriko, nanamu, wheriko
• Persian: درخشیدن (fa) (deraxšidan)
• Polish: błyszczeć (pl), błyszczeć się (pl), lśnić (pl), połyskiwać (pl)
• Portuguese: resplandecer (pt)
• Quechua: phaqsay
• Russian: блесте́ть (ru) impf (blestétʹ), блесну́ть (ru) pf (blesnútʹ), сверка́ть (ru) impf (sverkátʹ), сверкну́ть (ru) pf (sverknútʹ)
• Shan: ၽၢပ်ႇ (pʰaap2)
• Slovene: blesteti
• Spanish: brillar (es), resplandecer (es), centellear (es)
• Swedish: glittra (sv)
• Ukrainian: блища́ти (uk) (blyščáty), ся́яти (sjájaty)
• Volapük: glimön (vo)

to be showy, specious, or striking, and hence attractive

• Finnish: säihkyä
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

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Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from English glitter.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡli.teʁ/

Noun

glitter m (uncountable)

1. glitter (shiny, decorative dust)

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Spanish

Noun

glitter m (plural glitteres)

1. glitter

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Swedish

Etymology

Probably from Old Norse glitra.

Noun

glitter n (uncountable)

1. glitter; a shiny, decorative adornment

Declension

Declension of glitter
	Uncountable
	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	glitter	glittret	—	—
Genitive	glitters	glittrets	—	—

Related terms

• glittra
• glittrig