English
glitter
Glitter comes from Old Norse glitra, and goes back to Proto-Germanic *glitrōną ‘to glitter’.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*glitrōną‘to glitter’reconstructed
- Old Norsec. 800–1350glitra
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500gliteren
- Englishearliest quotation 1697glitter
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*glitrōną‘to glitter’reconstructed
- Old Norsec. 800–1350glitra
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500gliteren
- Englishearliest quotation 1697glitter
Earliest quotation: 1697, Virgil, The Second Book of the Georgics: “The field yet glitters with the pomp of war.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰley- ‘to shine’
Today it means
noun A bright, sparkling light; shininess or brilliance.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *glitrōną / glitter