glimmer

English

WOTD – 30 November 2006

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”). Doublet of glimpse.

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɡlɪmə(ɹ)/
(US) IPA^(key): /ˈɡlɪmɚ/
Audio (US): (file)
Audio (General Australian): (file)
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 (as it were a flash of light).
Synonym: glimpse

a glimmer of hope
(dated, uncountable) Mica.

Synonyms

(flash of light): sparkle, shimmer

Derived terms

Translations

faint light

Bulgarian: мъждукане (bg) n (mǎždukane)
Finnish: pilkahdus (fi), pilke (fi), tuike
French: lueur (fr) f
Gallurese: lucintura ?
Georgian: ციმციმი (cimcimi), ციალი (ciali), გაელვება (gaelveba), კრთომა (ḳrtoma), გამოკრთომა (gamoḳrtoma), ბჟუტვა (bžuṭva), კვესა (ḳvesa), კამკამი (ḳamḳami), კიაფი (ḳiapi)
German: Schimmer (de) m
Icelandic: skíma f
Italian: barlume (it) m, filo (it) m
Maori: hīnātore
Norwegian: skimmer n
Portuguese: vislumbre (pt) m
Russian: мерца́ние (ru) n (mercánije)
Sardinian:
Campidanese: lampaluxi ?

Logudorese: lughighedda ?
Sassarese: luzaredda ?
Spanish: luz tenue f, titileo (es) m
Ukrainian: мерехті́ння n (merextínnja)

flash of light

Bulgarian: проблясък (bg) m (probljasǎk)
Finnish: valonpilkahdus
Irish: léaró m
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: تروسکە (truske)
Norwegian: glimt (no) n
Portuguese: clarão (pt) m

faint or remote possibility

Finnish: valonpilkahdus, väre (fi), kipinä (fi)
French: lueur (fr) f
Italian: barlume (it) m
Norwegian: glimt (no) n, anelse (no) m
Portuguese: vislumbre (pt) m

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.
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

Translations

to shine with a faint, unsteady light

Armenian: առկայծել (hy) (aṙkaycel)
Bulgarian: мъждукам (bg) (mǎždukam)
Esperanto: glimi
Finnish: tuikkia (fi), kajastaa
French: émettre une lueur
Georgian: ციმციმებს (cimcimebs), იელვებს (ielvebs), კრთის (ḳrtis), კრთება (ḳrteba), ბჟუტავს (bžuṭavs), ციალებს (cialebs), კამკამებს (ḳamḳamebs), კიაფობს (ḳiapobs)
German: glimmern
Hindi: टिमटिमाना (hi) (ṭimṭimānā)
Ingrian: kuumattaa
Maori: tīramarama
Norwegian: glimte, skimre, blinke (no)
Portuguese: vislumbrar (pt)
Romanian: scânteia (ro)
Russian: мерца́ть (ru) (mercátʹ)
Swedish: glänsa (sv), glittra (sv), skina (sv), glimma (sv), glimra (sv)
Urdu: ٹمٹمانا (ur) (ṭimṭimānā)

Icelandic

Etymology

Borrowed from Danish glimmer, from glimre (“to glimmer”). Cognate with glimrandi (“splendid”), which is also from Danish. False friend with English glimmer.

Noun

glimmer n (genitive singular glimmers, no plural)

glitter (small decorative shiny particles)
(mineralogy) mica

Declension

More information singular, indefinite ...

	singular
	indefinite	definite
nominative	glimmer	glimmerið
accusative	glimmer	glimmerið
dative	glimmer, glimmeri	glimmerinu
genitive	glimmers	glimmersins

Declension of glimmer (sg-only neuter)

References

Kristín Bjarnadóttir, editor (2002–2025), “glimmer”, in Beygingarlýsing íslensks nútímamáls [The Database of Modern Icelandic Inflection] (in Icelandic), Reykjavík: The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies

Norwegian Bokmål

Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:

glimmer

Wikipedia ^no

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
mica
Glimmer er et mineral som lett spaltes i tynne flak.
Mica is a mineral that easily separates into thin leaves.