gleam

gleam · noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European*ǵʰley-
2. Proto-Germanic*glaimiz
3. Proto-West Germanic*glaimi
4. Old Englishglǣm
5. Middle Englishglem
6. English todaygleam

From Middle English glem, gleam, gleme (“shaft of light; reflected light; radiance; something ephemeral”), from Old English glǣm (“gleam”), from Proto-West Germanic *glaimi (“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”)

gleam · verb²

1. Proto-Indo-European*ǵʰley-
2. Proto-Germanic*glaimiz
3. Proto-West Germanic*glaimi
4. Old Englishglǣm
5. Middle Englishglem
6. Middle Englishglemen
7. English todaygleam

From Middle English glemen (“to shine; to glance, look”), from glem, gleme (noun) (see etymology 1) + -en (suffix forming the infinitive of verbs). Cognate with German Low German glemen (“to glow, shine”).

gleam · verb³

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*gleh₁y-“to glue, stick; to smear”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*klaimijaną“to smear with clay, to mortar”
3. Old Norse · derived fromkleima“to daub, smear”
4. Middle English · inherited fromgleimen
5. English todaygleam

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”)).

Words from the same roots