Added 9 October 2026
gleam
/ɡliːm/ noun
In Latin: fulgeō Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about gleam at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- An appearance of light, especially one which is indistinct or small, or short-lived.
-
An indistinct sign of something; a glimpse or hint.
The rescue workers preserved a gleam of optimism that the trapped miners might still survive.
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An indistinct sign of something; a glimpse or hint.
The rescue workers preserved a gleam of optimism that the trapped miners might still survive.
verb
- Chiefly in conjunction with an adverb: to cause (light) to shine.
- To shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner; to glisten, to glitter.
- To shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner; to glisten, to glitter.
verb
Origin
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 Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)