15th century. Borrowed from Scots glint; from Middle English glenten ("to shine, gleam; flash"); probably alteration of Old Norse; from Middle High German glinzen; from Proto-Germanic *glintaną, *glintjaną; from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰley- ("to shine"). Cognate with Swedish glänta, glinta, Swedish glimt. Reintroduced into literary English by Robert Burns.
Modern English dictionary
Explore and search massive catalog of over 900,000 word meanings.
Word of the Day
Get a curated memorable word every day.
Challenge yourself
Level up your vocabulary by setting personal goals.