glisten
Use Glisten in a sentence
ən verb (used without object)
1.
to reflect a sparkling light or a faint intermittent glow; shine lustrously.
noun
2.
a glistening; sparkle.
Origin:
before 1000; Middle English glis(t)nen (v.), Old English glisnian, derivative of glisian to glitter; see -en1
before 1000; Middle English glis(t)nen (v.), Old English glisnian, derivative of glisian to glitter; see -en1
Related forms
glis·ten·ing·ly, adverb
un·glis·ten·ing, adjective
Synonyms
1. glimmer, gleam, glitter. Glisten, shimmer, sparkle refer to different ways in which light is reflected from surfaces. Glisten refers to a lustrous light, as from something sleek or wet, or it may refer to myriads of tiny gleams reflected from small surfaces: Wet fur glistens. Snow glistens in the sunlight. Shimmer refers to the changing play of light on a (generally moving) surface, as of water or silk: Moonbeams shimmer on water. Silk shimmers in a high light. To sparkle is to give off sparks or small ignited particles, or to send forth small but brilliant gleams, sometimes by reflection: A diamond sparkles with numerous points of light.
1. glimmer, gleam, glitter. Glisten, shimmer, sparkle refer to different ways in which light is reflected from surfaces. Glisten refers to a lustrous light, as from something sleek or wet, or it may refer to myriads of tiny gleams reflected from small surfaces: Wet fur glistens. Snow glistens in the sunlight. Shimmer refers to the changing play of light on a (generally moving) surface, as of water or silk: Moonbeams shimmer on water. Silk shimmers in a high light. To sparkle is to give off sparks or small ignited particles, or to send forth small but brilliant gleams, sometimes by reflection: A diamond sparkles with numerous points of light.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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|
Link To glisten
00:10
Glisten
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is lollygag. Does it mean:
| to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about. |
| to spend time idly; loaf. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
glisten (ˈɡlɪsən) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | (of a wet or glossy surface) to gleam by reflecting light: wet leaves glisten in the sunlight |
| 2. | (of light) to reflect with brightness: the sunlight glistens on wet leaves |
| —n | |
| 3. | rare a gleam or gloss |
| [Old English glisnian; related to glisian to glitter, Middle High German glistern] | |
| 'glisteningly | |
| —adv | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
glisten
O.E. glisnian, from P.Gmc. root *glis- (cf. O.Fris. glisa "to shine"), from PIE *ghleis-, from base *ghlei- "to shine, glitter, glow, be warm" (see gleam).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
The surface should glisten, but have no standing water.
In winter, frost and ice may glisten on the branches.
When dry, large areas glisten due to evaporite minerals on the surface.
The river valleys glisten with the leaves of huge cottonwoods, green in the summer and golden in the fall.
Nearby Words
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