Link Centre Dictionary

glimpse

UK/ˈɡlɪm(p)s/ US/ˈɡl̥ɪm(p)s/ fairly common
noun (3) verb (1)

noun

1.
2.

a brief or incomplete view

  • “from the window he could catch a glimpse of the lake”
3.

a vague indication

  • “he caught only a glimpse of the professor”

verb

1.

catch a glimpse of or see briefly

  • “We glimpsed the Queen as she got into her limousine”

Origin

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”)

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.