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flicker

 - 10 dictionary results

flick⋅er

1  [flik-er]
Use flicker in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
1. to burn unsteadily; shine with a wavering light: The candle flickered in the wind and went out.
2. to move to and fro; vibrate; quiver: The long grasses flickered in the wind.
3. to flutter.
–verb (used with object)
4. to cause to flicker.
–noun
5. an unsteady flame or light.
6. a flickering movement.
7. a brief occurrence or appearance: a flicker of hope.
8. Often, flickers. Slang. flick 2 .
9. Ophthalmology. the visual sensation of flickering that occurs when the interval between intermittent flashes of light is too long to permit fusion.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME flikeren (v.) OE flicorian to flutter; c. D flikkeren

Related forms:
flick⋅er⋅ing⋅ly, adverb
flick⋅er⋅y, adjective

Synonyms:
1. flare, flash, gleam, shimmer.

flick⋅er

2  [flik-er]
–noun
any of several American woodpeckers of the genus Colaptes, having the underside of the wings and tail brightly marked with yellow or red and noted for taking insects from the ground as well as trees.
Origin:
1800–10, Americanism; said to be imit. of the bird's note

flick

2  [flik]
–noun Slang.
a motion picture.
Also, flicker.

Origin:
1925–30; shortening of flicker 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To flicker
flick·er 1   (flĭk'ər)   
v.   flick·ered, flick·er·ing, flick·ers

v.   intr.

  1. To move waveringly; flutter: shadows flickering on the wall.

  2. To burn unsteadily or fitfully.

v.   tr.
To cause to move waveringly.
n.  

  1. A brief movement; a tremor.

  2. An inconstant or wavering light.

  3. A brief or slight sensation: a flicker of doubt.

  4. Slang A movie.


[Middle English flikeren, to flutter, from Old English flicerian.]
flick·er 2   (flĭk'ər)   
n.  Any of various large North American woodpeckers of the genus Colaptes, especially C. auratus, the common flicker, having a brown back, spotted breast, and white rump.

[Perhaps from flick1.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
flick

  1. n.
    a movie. : That was a pretty good flick, right?
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

flick  (n.)
c.1447, probably imitative of a light blow with a whip. Earliest recorded use is in phrase not worth a flykke "useless." As slang for "film," it is first attested 1926, a back-formation from flicker, from their flickering appearance. The verb is first recorded 1838; meaning "quick turn of the wrist" is from 1897, originally in cricket.

flicker  (v.)
O.E. flicorian "to flutter, flap quickly and lightly," originally of birds. Onomatopoeic of quick motion. Sense of "shine with a wavering light" is 1605, but not common till 19c.

flicker  (n.)
"woodpecker," 1808 Amer.Eng., possibly echoic of bird's note, or from white spots on plumage that seem to flicker as it flits from tree to tree.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: flick·er
Pronunciation: 'flik-&r
Function: noun
: the wavering or fluttering visual sensation produced by intermittent light when theinterval between flashes is not small enough to produce complete fusion of the individual impressions
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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