glisten

English

Etymology

From Middle English glisnen, glistnen, from Old English glisnian.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈɡlɪsən/
Rhymes: -ɪsən
Audio (UK) (file)

Verb

glisten (third-person singular simple present glistens, present participle glistening, simple past and past participle glistened)

(intransitive, of a wet or greasy surface) To reflect light with a glittering luster; to sparkle, coruscate, glint or flash.
- 1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], OCLC 1042815524, part I, page 202:
  The sun was fierce, the land seemed to glisten and drip with steam.

Translations

to reflect light with a glittering luster

Arabic: لَمَعَ‎ (ar) (lamaʿa)
Bulgarian: лъщя (bg) (lǎštja), блестя (bg) (blestja)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 輝耀／辉耀 (zh) (huīyào), 閃光／闪光 (zh) (shǎnguāng), 閃耀／闪耀 (zh) (shǎnyào)
Danish: glinse
Finnish: kimmeltää (fi), kimaltaa (fi), kimallella (fi)
French: reluire (fr)
German: glitzern (de), glänzen (de), gleißen (de)
Alemannic German: glänze
Gothic: 𐌲𐌻𐌹𐍄𐌼𐌿𐌽𐌾𐌰𐌽 (glitmunjan)
Greek: please add this translation if you can
Ancient: στίλβω (stílbō), μαρμαίρω (marmaírō)
Hindi: चमकना (camaknā)
Hungarian: csillog (hu)
Italian: luccicante (it)
Japanese: 光る (ja) (ひかる, hikaru), 輝く (ja) (かがやく, kagayaku)
Maori: whakaira, kanapa, wheriko, korakora, kōratarata
Persian: برق زدن‎ (barq zadan)
Polish: błyszczeć (pl)
Portuguese: reluzir (pt)
Russian: блесте́ть (ru) impf (blestétʹ), блесну́ть (ru) pf (blesnútʹ), сверка́ть (ru) impf (sverkátʹ), сверкну́ть (ru) pf (sverknútʹ)
Slovene: lesketati
Spanish: relucir (es), rielar (es)

Noun

glisten (plural glistens)

A glistening shine from a wet surface.
- 1920, D.H. Lawrence, Women in Love, ch 1:
  In his clear northern flesh and his fair hair was a glisten like sunshine refracted through crystals of ice.

Translations

glistening shine

Bulgarian: блясък (bg) m (bljasǎk)
Finnish: kimmellys (fi), kimallus (fi)

Anagrams

Etlings, Tingles, lingets, niglets, singlet, sniglet, tingles