different between brilliance vs glimmer

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: br?ly?ns
• IPA^(key): /?b??lj?n(t)s/

Etymology

Borrowed from French brillance.

Noun

brilliance (usually uncountable, plural brilliances)

1. The quality of being exceptionally effulgent (giving off light).
2. The quality of having extraordinary mental capacity.
3. (chiefly Britain) Magnificence; resplendence.

Derived terms

• brilliancy

Related terms

• brilliant
• brilliantly
• brilliantness
• beryl (possibly)
• beryllium (possibly)

Translations

English

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”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??l?m?(?)/
• (US) IPA^(key): /??l?m?/
• Rhymes: -?m?(?)

Noun

glimmer (plural glimmers)

1. A faint light; a dim glow.

   The glimmer of the fireflies was pleasant to watch.

2. A flash of light.
3. A faint or remote possibility.

   A glimmer of hope.

4. (dated) mica

Synonyms

• (flash of light): sparkle, shimmer

Translations

Verb

glimmer (third-person singular simple present glimmers, present participle glimmering, simple past and past participle glimmered)

1. (intransitive) To shine with a faint, unsteady light.

   The fireflies glimmered in the dark.

   the glimmering dawn; a glimmering lamp

Synonyms

• (shine with faint unsteady light): flicker, shimmer, twinkle

Translations

Norwegian Bokmål

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)

1. (literary and formal) magnificence, glitter, tinsel, something that shines

   Rikdommens glimmer

   The tinsel of wealth

2. mica

Synonyms

• (sense 1) glans, prakt, herlighet
• (sense 2) kråkesølv, mica, mikanitt

Derived terms

• glimmerskifer
• Lys glimmer = white mica (literally: "bright mica")

References

• “glimmer” in The Ordnett Dictionary
• “glimmer” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Derived from glimre (“glitter, glisten, sparkle”), with influence from English. The definition is from German Glimmer.

Noun

glimmer m (definite singular glimmeren, uncountable)

1. mica

Synonyms

• kråkesølv, mica, mikanitt

Derived terms

• glimmerskifer
• Lys glimmer = white mica (literally: "bright mica")

References

• “glimmer” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.