Etymology From Middle English glem, gleam, gleme (“shaft of light; part of a comet’s tail; reflected sparkle; dawn; daylight; radiance (physical or spiritual); something fleeting”), from Old English glǣm (“gleam”), from Proto-Germanic *glaimiz (“brightness; splendour”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰley- (“to shine”). Cognates * German Low German Gleem (“shine, luster, gloss”) * Faroese glæma (“gleam, glimmer”) * Old High German glīmen (“to glow, shine”); gleimo, glīmo (“glowworm”) (Middle High German glīme, gleime) * Old Saxon glīmo (“brightness”)
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An appearance of light, especially one which is indistinct or small, or short-lived.
Is not yon gleame, the ſhuddering morne that flakes, / VVith ſiluer tinctur, the eaſt vierge of heauen?c. 1599 (date written), I. M. [i.e., John Marston], The History of Antonio and Mellida. The First Part. […], London: […] [Richard Bradock] for Mathewe Lownes, and Thomas Fisher, […], published 1602, →OCLC, Act III, signature D4, verso:
Sailing between Madagaſcar and Zeyloon (at or Near this place) in a dark night ſuddenly there happened a gleam of light, ſo bright that he could eaſily read by it. Amazed he vvas at this alteration; but at length perceived it vvas occaſioned by a number of Fiſh, vvhoſe glittering ſhells made that artificial light in the night, and gave the Sea a vvhite repercuſſion: […]1677, Tho[mas] Herbert, Some Yeares Travels into Divers Parts of Africa, and Asia the Great. […], 4th edition, London: […] R. Everingham, for R. Scot, T. Basset, J[ohn] Wright, and R. Chiswell, →OCLC, page 30:
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VVhat a gloom hangs all around! the dying lamp feebly emits a yellovv gleam, no ſound is heard but of the chiming clock, or the diſtant vvatch-dog.1760, Oliver Goldsmith, “Letter CXIV. To the Same [From Lien Chi Altangi, to Fum Hoam, First President of the Ceremonial Academy at Pekin, in China].”, in The Citizen of the World; or Letters from a Chinese Philosopher, […], volume II, London: […] [F]or the author; and sold by J. Newbery and W. Bristow, […]; J. Leake and W. Frederick, […]; B. Collins, […]; and A. M. Smart and Co. […], published 1762, →OCLC, page 210:
Ah! then, if mine had been the Painter's hand, / To express what then I saw; and add the gleam, / The light that never was, on sea or land, / The consecration, and the Poet's dream; // I would have planted thee, thou hoary Pile! / Amid a world how different from this!1807, William Wordsworth, “Elegiac Stanzas, […]”, in Poems, in Two Volumes, volume II, London: […] Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, […], →OCLC, page 142:
But a faint and partial gleam of sunshine broke through the aperture, and made yet more cheerless the dreary aspect and gloomy appurtenances of the cell.1838, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], “The Novice”, in “Leila; or, The Siege of Granada”, in Leila; or, The Siege of Granada: And Calderon, the Courtier. […], London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, and Longmans; Paris: Delloy and Co., →OCLC, book V, page 238:
And lo! as he looks, on the belfry's height / A glimmer, and then a gleam of light!1860, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “The Landlord’s Tale. Paul Revere’s Ride.”, in Tales of a Wayside Inn, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC, page 22:
2
Figuratively An indistinct sign of something; a glimpse or hint.
The rescue workers preserved a gleam of optimism that the trapped miners might still survive.
On the fifteenth of June a gleam of hope appeared.1851, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter XI, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume III, London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC, page 228:
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Figuratively A bright, but intermittent or short-lived, appearance of something.
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Figuratively A look of joy or liveliness on one's face.
[H]is black visage lighted up with a curious, mischievous gleam.1851 June – 1852 April, Harriet Beecher Stowe, “Discovery”, in Uncle Tom’s Cabin; or, Life among the Lowly, volume I, Boston, Mass.: John P[unchard] Jewett & Company; Cleveland, Oh.: Jewett, Proctor & Worthington, published 20 March 1852, →OCLC, page 72:
Sunny, thank you for that smile upon your face / Sunny, thank you, thank you for the gleam that flows its grace1963 (date written), Bobby Hebb, “Sunny”, published June 1966:
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Got no money to spend / not a dime or a friend / Yet things are gonna go my way / Got the sun in the sky, and a gleam in my eye / Not gonna think of yesterday1977, Salsoul Orchestra, “It's A New Day”, in Magic Journey:
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Obsolete Sometimes as hot gleam: a warm ray of sunlight; also, a period of warm weather, for instance, between showers of rain.
The Pepper-trees live in Italie; the ſhrub of Caſia or the Canell likevviſe in the Northerly regions; the Frankincenſe tree alſo hath been knovvne to live in Lydia: but vvhere vvere the hote gleames of the Sunne to be found in thoſe regions, either to drie up the vvateriſh humor of the one, or to concot and thicken the gumme and roſin of the other?1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “[Book XVI.] Of Certaine Prodigious Trees, and Presages Observed by Them. By what Meanes Trees Grow of Their Owne Accord. That All Plants Grow Not Every Where: And what Trees They be that are Appropriate to Certaine Regions, and are Not Elsewhere to be Found.”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. […], 1st tome, London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC, page 478:
[W]e felt a brisk gale coming from off the Coaſt of America, but ſo violently hot, that vve thought it came from ſome burning Mountain on the ſhore, and vvas like the heat from the mouth of an Oven. Juſt ſuch another gleam I felt one afternoon alſo, as I lay anchor at the Groin in July 1694. it came vvith a Southerly VVind: both theſe vvere follovved by a Thunder-ſhovver.1697, William Dampier, chapter XIX, in A New Voyage Round the World. […], London: […] James Knapton, […], →OCLC, page 530:
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Obsolete Brightness or shininess; radiance, splendour.
Then vvas the faire Dodonian tree far ſeene, / Vpon ſeauen hills to ſpread his gladſome gleame, / And conquerours bedecked vvith his greene, / Along the bancks of the Auſonian ſtreame: […]1591, Joachim du Bellay, “The Visions of Bellay”, in Ed[mund] Sp[enser], transl., Complaints. Containing Sundrie Small Poemes of the Worlds Vanitie. […], London: […] William Ponsonbie, […], →OCLC, part 5, signature Y3, recto:
In the clear azure gleam the flocks are ſeen, / And floating foreſts paint the vvaves vvith green.1713, [Alexander] Pope, Windsor-Forest. […], London: […] Bernard Lintott […], →OCLC, page 60:
Etymology From Middle English glemen (“to shine; to glance, look”) [and other forms], from glem, gleam (noun) (see etymology 1) + -en (suffix forming the infinitive of verbs). Cognate with German Low German glemen (“to glow, shine”).
1
Chiefly in conjunction with an adverb: to cause (light) to shine.
Many a dry drop ſeem'd a vveeping teare, / Shed for the ſlaughtred husband by the vvife. / The red bloud reek'd to ſhevv the Painters ſtrife, / And dying eyes gleem'd forth their aſhie lights, / Like dying coales burnt out in tedious nights.1594, William Shakespeare, Lucrece (First Quarto), London: […] Richard Field, for Iohn Harrison, […], →OCLC, signature K, verso:
2
To shine, especially in an indistinct or intermittent manner; to glisten, to glitter.
Quick to redeem the Prey their plighted Lords / Advance, the Palace gleams vvith ſhining Svvords.1700, [John] Dryden, “Cymon and Iphigenia, from Boccace”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 563:
Beneath an oak he laid him down, / That in the blaze gleamed ruddy brown, […]1813, Walter Scott, “Canto Fifth”, in Rokeby; a Poem, Edinburgh: […] [F]or John Ballantyne and Co. […]; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown; by James Ballantyne and Co., […], →OCLC, stanza XXXVI, page 266:
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Green as a liquid emerald, or the hue / Of the green grape, in autumn sunshine growing! / Even as thou gleamest this golden summer's day!1842, Mary Howitt, “The Neckar”, in Fisher’s Drawing Room Scrap-book. […], London; Paris: Fisher, Son & Co., […], →OCLC, page 34:
There, near the ruins of the Oscan's old Atella, rises Aversa, once the strong hold of the Norman; there gleam the columns of Capua, above the Vulturnian Stream.1842, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], chapter V, in Zanoni. […], volume I, London: Saunders & Otley, […], →OCLC, 1st book (The Musician), pages 50–51:
King angels hover round thee, as thou dreamest: / Soft lashes hide they beauteous azure eye which gleamest.1848, W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, chapter I, in “A Little Dinner at Timmins’s”, in Miscellanies: Prose and Verse, volume III, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1856, →OCLC, page 438:
In dew descending on creation's Queen, / Thou gleamedst germlike on her golden hair.1849 November, R. F., “To the Rain. Lines Written at Rydal.”, in Fraser’s Magazine for Town and Country, volume XL, number CCXXXXIX, London: John W[illiam] Parker, […], →OCLC, page 497:
Mr. Crawley spoke these words without hesitation, even with eloquence, standing upright, and with something of a noble anger gleaming over his poor wan face; and, I think that while speaking them, he was happier than he had been for many a long day.1867, Anthony Trollope, “The Bishop’s Angel”, in The Last Chronicle of Barset. […], volume I, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], →OCLC, page 109:
A variant of Middle English gleimen, gleym (“to smear; to make slimy or sticky; to fill up (the stomach); to nauseate; of a slimy or viscous substance: to be stuck together; (figuratively) to captivate, ensnare; to infect with heresy”) [and other forms], probably a blend of glet (“slimy or viscous matter produced by animals; mucus, phlegm; congestion of mucus or phlegm in the body; viscosity”), gleu (“substance used to stick things together, glue; viscous medicine made from plants”), etc. + Old Norse kleima (“to daub, smear”) (whence Old English clǣman (“to smear”)) (ultimately from Proto-Germanic *klaimijaną (“to smear with clay, to mortar”), from *klaimaz (“clay; mortar”), from Proto-Indo-European *gleh₁y- (“to glue, stick; to smear”)).
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Falconry, Hobbies, Hunting, LifestyleObsolete Of a hawk or other bird of prey: to disgorge filth from its crop or gorge.
Gleam, a term uſed after a hawk hath caſt and gleameth, or throweth up filth from her gorge.1800, “Gleam”, in The Sportsman’s Dictionary; or, The Gentleman’s Companion: For Town and Country. […], 4th edition, London: […] G. G. and J. Robinson, […]; by R. Noble, […], →OCLC, column 1: