gleam  (gl ēm)
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n.1. A brief beam or flash of light: saw gleams of daylight through the cracks. 2. A steady but subdued shining; a glow: the gleam of burnished gold. 3. A brief or dim indication; a trace: a gleam of intelligence. intr.v. gleamed, gleam·ing, gleams 1. To emit a gleam; flash or glow: "Their tile roofs gleamed in the moon's pallid radiance" (Laura Joh Rowland). See Synonyms at flash. 2. To be reflected as a gleam: The sun gleamed on the water. 3. To be manifested or indicated briefly or faintly.
gleamer n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
Indo-European Roots
Semitic Roots
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.
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