gleam
pronunciation
How to pronounce gleam in British English:
UK [ɡliːm]
How to pronounce gleam in American English:
US [ɡliːm]
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- Noun:
- an appearance of reflected light
- a flash of light (especially reflected light)
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- Verb:
- be shiny, as if wet
- shine brightly, like a star or a light
- appear briefly
Word Origin
- gleam
- gleam: [OE] Gleam is one of a very wide range of English words beginning with gl that denote ‘shining’ (others include glare, glint, glister, glitter, and glow). Originally it was a noun, which came from Germanic *glaim-, *glim- (source also of glimmer [15]); the verb is a 13thcentury development.=> glimmer, glimpse
- gleam (n.)
- Old English glæm "a brilliant light; brightness; splendor, radiance, beauty," from Proto-Germanic *glaimiz (cognates: Old Saxon glimo "brightness;" Middle High German glim "spark," gleime "glow-worm;" German glimmen "to glimmer, glow;" Old Norse glja "to shine, glitter, glisten"), from root *glim-, from PIE *ghel- (2) "to shine," with derivatives referring to bright materials and gold (see glass (n.), and compare glad (adj.)).
- gleam (v.)
- early 13c., from gleam (n). Related: Gleamed; gleaming.