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Added 9 October 2026

glimmer

/ˈɡlɪməː/ noun

In Latin: none, coined in 2020 Coined: 2020 Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about glimmer at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

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).

verb

To shine with a faint, unsteady light.
the glimmering dawn a glimmering lamp

Origin

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. Sense 5 was coined in the 2020s in analogy to trigger.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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