different between glimmer vs glim

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.

English

Etymology

From Middle English glim, glimme (“radiance; shining brightness”), of uncertain further origin. Perhaps from Old English gleomu (“splendor”) and/or Old Norse *glim, *glima, both apparently from Proto-Germanic *glim?, from Proto-Indo-European *??ley- (“to gleam, shimmer, glow”). Compare Norwegian Nynorsk glim, dialectal Old Swedish glim, glimma.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?l?m/

Noun

glim (countable and uncountable, plural glims)

1. (obsolete) brightness; splendour
2. (archaic, slang) A light; a candle; a lantern; a fire.
3. (archaic, slang) An eye.
4. (archaic, slang) A pair of glasses or spectacles.
5. (archaic, slang) A look; a glimpse.
6. (archaic, slang) Gonorrhea
7. (archaic, slang) Fake documents claiming the loss of property by fire (for use in begging).

Derived terms

• (eye): glimflashy (“angry”)

Verb

glim (third-person singular simple present glims, present participle glimming, simple past and past participle glimmed)

1. (obsolete, transitive) To brand on the hand.
2. (dated, slang) To illuminate.
3. (dated, slang) To see; to observe.

References

• Farmer, John Stephen (1893) Slang and Its Analogues?^[3], volume 3, pages 153–155

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -?m

Verb

glim

1. first-person singular present indicative of glimmen
2. imperative of glimmen

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From Old Norse [Term?], whence also English glim; from Proto-Germanic *gl?mô (“shine, splendor”).

Noun

glim m or n (definite singular glimen or glimet, indefinite plural glimar or glim, definite plural glimane or glima)

1. glimpse
2. glimmer
3. glitter

Etymology 2

Verb

glim

1. imperative of glime
2. (non-standard since 1938) present tense of glime

References

• “glim” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
• Orel, Vladimir (2003) , “*?l?m?n”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden: Brill, ?ISBN, page 136