gleam

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• Received-Pronunciation: /ɡliːm/
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• General-American: /ɡlim/
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• General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• rhymes with -iːm
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• CMU ARPABET: G L IY1 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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From Middle English glem, gleam, gleme (“shaft of light; part of a comet’s tail; reflected sparkle; dawn; daylight; radiance (physical or spiritual); something fleeting”), from Old English glǣm (“gleam”), from Proto-Germanic *glaimiz (“brightness; splendour”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵhley- (“to shine”). Cognates * German Low German Gleem (“shine, luster, gloss”) * Faroese glæma (“gleam, glimmer”) * Old High German glīmen (“to glow, shine”); gleimo, glīmo (“glowworm”) (Middle High German glīme, gleime) * Old Saxon glīmo (“brightness”)

From Middle English glemen (“to shine; to glance, look”) [and other forms], from glem, gleam (noun) (see etymology 1) + -en (suffix forming the infinitive of verbs). Cognate with German Low German glemen (“to glow, shine”).

A variant of Middle English gleimen, gleym (“to smear; to make slimy or sticky; to fill up (the stomach); to nauseate; of a slimy or viscous substance: to be stuck together; (figuratively) to captivate, ensnare; to infect with heresy”) [and other forms], probably a blend of glet (“slimy or viscous matter produced by animals; mucus, phlegm; congestion of mucus or phlegm in the body; viscosity”), gleu (“substance used to stick things together, glue; viscous medicine made from plants”), etc. + Old Norse kleima (“to daub, smear”) (whence Old English clǣman (“to smear”)) (ultimately from Proto-Germanic *klaimijaną (“to smear with clay, to mortar”), from *klaimaz (“clay; mortar”), from Proto-Indo-European *gleh1y- (“to glue, stick; to smear”)).

91 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Bulgarian: лъч (lǎč) — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• Czech: (bledý) svit — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• Czech: záře — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• Czech: pablesk — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• Czech: záblesk — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• Czech: lesk — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• Czech: třpyt — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• Old Czech: blsket — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• Finnish: pilkahdus — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• Finnish: säde — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• French: miroitement — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• French: rayon — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• French: reflet — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• German: Schein — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• German: Schimmer — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• Greek: αχτίδα (achtída) — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• Ingrian: äky — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• Ingrian: lens — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• Irish: léaró — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• Irish: gealán — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• Occitan: entrelusida — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• Occitan: lusida — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• Romanian: licărire — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• Romanian: rază — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• Romanian: sclipire — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• Russian: луч (luč) — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• Russian: свет — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• Turkish: parıltı — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• Ukrainian: світло (svitlo) — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• Ukrainian: відблиск (vidblysk) — indistinct or small, or short-lived, appearance of light
• Armenian: նշույլ (nšuyl) — indistinct sign of something — see also glimpse, hint
• Bulgarian: блещукане (bleštukane) — indistinct sign of something — see also glimpse, hint
• Bulgarian: проблясък (probljasǎk) — indistinct sign of something — see also glimpse, hint
• Czech: náznak — indistinct sign of something — see also glimpse, hint
• Finnish: kipinä — indistinct sign of something — see also glimpse, hint
• Finnish: pilkahdus — indistinct sign of something — see also glimpse, hint
• German: Funke — indistinct sign of something — see also glimpse, hint
• German: Schimmer — indistinct sign of something — see also glimpse, hint
• Irish: gealán — indistinct sign of something — see also glimpse, hint
• Romanian: pic — indistinct sign of something — see also glimpse, hint
• Romanian: urmă — indistinct sign of something — see also glimpse, hint
• Russian: про́блеск (próblesk) — indistinct sign of something — see also glimpse, hint
• Turkish: belirti — indistinct sign of something — see also glimpse, hint
• Ukrainian: проблиск (problysk) — indistinct sign of something — see also glimpse, hint
• Bulgarian: проблясък (probljasǎk) — bright, but intermittent or short-lived, appearance of something
• Bulgarian: мъждукане (mǎždukane) — bright, but intermittent or short-lived, appearance of something
• Czech: záblesk — bright, but intermittent or short-lived, appearance of something
• Finnish: pilkahdus — bright, but intermittent or short-lived, appearance of something
• Finnish: välähdys — bright, but intermittent or short-lived, appearance of something
• Irish: gealán — bright, but intermittent or short-lived, appearance of something
• Bulgarian: сияние (sijanie) — look of joy or liveliness on one’s face
• Czech: záblesk — look of joy or liveliness on one’s face
• Finnish: elo — look of joy or liveliness on one’s face
• Finnish: eloisuus — look of joy or liveliness on one’s face
• Finnish: riemu — look of joy or liveliness on one’s face
• Bulgarian: осветявам (osvetjavam) — to cause (light) to shine
• Bulgarian: осветя (osvetja) — to cause (light) to shine
• Bulgarian: осветлявам (osvetljavam) — to cause (light) to shine
• Bulgarian: осветля (osvetlja) — to cause (light) to shine
• Finnish: saada hohtamaan — to cause (light) to shine
• Bulgarian: блестя (blestja) — to shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner — see also glisten, glitter
• Bulgarian: блещукам (bleštukam) — to shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner — see also glisten, glitter
• Bulgarian: проблясвам (probljasvam) — to shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner — see also glisten, glitter
• Bulgarian: проблесна (problesna) — to shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner — see also glisten, glitter
• Bulgarian: мъждея (mǎždeja) — to shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner — see also glisten, glitter
• Esperanto: glimi — to shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner — see also glisten, glitter
• Esperanto: brileti — to shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner — see also glisten, glitter
• Finnish: hohtaa — to shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner — see also glisten, glitter
• Finnish: kiiltää — to shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner — see also glisten, glitter
• Finnish: välkehtiä — to shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner — see also glisten, glitter
• Finnish: välkkyä — to shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner — see also glisten, glitter
• French: luire — to shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner — see also glisten, glitter
• German: schimmern — to shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner — see also glisten, glitter
• Gothic: 𐌲𐌻𐌹𐍄𐌼𐌿𐌽𐌾𐌰𐌽 (glitmunjan) — to shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner — see also glisten, glitter
• Latin: fulgeō — to shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner — see also glisten, glitter
• Māori: hahana — to shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner — see also glisten, glitter
• Māori: kohae — to shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner — see also glisten, glitter
• Māori: ramarama — to shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner — see also glisten, glitter
• Māori: rarama — to shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner — see also glisten, glitter
• Māori: titiwha — to shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner — see also glisten, glitter
• Māori: kohara — to shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner — see also glisten, glitter
• Quechua: lliphlly — to shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner — see also glisten, glitter
• Romanian: străluci — to shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner — see also glisten, glitter
• Swedish: glimra — to shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner — see also glisten, glitter
• Swedish: glänsa — to shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner — see also glisten, glitter
• Swedish: skina — to shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner — see also glisten, glitter
• Bulgarian: просветвам (prosvetvam) — to be strongly but briefly apparent
• Finnish: pilkahtaa — to be strongly but briefly apparent
• Finnish: vilahtaa — to be strongly but briefly apparent
• Finnish: vilkahtaa — to be strongly but briefly apparent
• German: aufblitzen — to be strongly but briefly apparent