gleam
gleam Lexical Profile
gleam Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A faint, brief, or reflected beam of light.
"The polished mahogany table caught a warm gleam from the afternoon sun."
A brief or faint trace of an emotion, quality, or hope, often visible in a person's eyes or expression.
"A sudden gleam of recognition crossed her face when she heard the old melody."
• verb
To shine brightly, especially with reflected light or against a dark background.
"The freshly washed cars gleamed under the bright showroom lights."
To express or reveal an emotion or quality vividly (especially of eyes or a facial expression).
"The children's eyes gleamed with excitement as the curtain rose on the stage."
• Rhymes for gleam
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'glæm', meaning a brilliant light or splendor, tracing back to the Proto-Germanic root '*glaimiz' and ultimately the Proto-Indo-European root '*ghel-' (to shine), which also gave rise to words like 'glimmer', 'glow', and 'gold'.