glimpse

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*ǵʰley-“to shine”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*glimō
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*glimmisōjan
4. Old English · inherited from*glimsian
5. Middle English · inherited fromglimsen“to dazzle; to glisten; to glance with the eyes”
6. English todayglimpse

The verb is derived from earlier glimse (obsolete), from Middle English glimsen (“to dazzle; to glisten; to glance with the eyes”), possibly from Old English *glimsian, from Proto-West Germanic *glimmisōjan, from Proto-Germanic *glimō, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰley- (“to shine”). Doublet of glimmer. The noun is derived from the verb. Cognates Dutch glimp (“glimpse”, noun) Middle Dutch glinsen (modern Dutch glinsteren (“to glint, glitter, shimmer, sparkle; to glance”), glimmen (“to gleam, shine”)) Middle High German glimsen (“to glow, smoulder”), glinsen (“to glimmer, shine”) Middle Low German glinsen, glintzen, glinzen (“to shimmer, shine”)

Words from the same roots