NYT Dictionary

GLEAM

/ɡlim/
NounVerbGLEEMGrade 9

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2019, 2020, 2022, 2024, 2025

Meaning

An appearance of light, especially one which is indistinct or small, or short-lived.

Etymology

Origin: Old English

From Middle English glem, gleam, gleme (“shaft of light; part of a comet’s tail; reflected sparkle; dawn; daylight; radiance (physical or spiritual); something fleeting”), from Old English glǣm (“gleam”), from Proto-Germanic *glaimiz (“brightness; splendour”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰley- (“to shine”). Cognates * German Low German Gleem (“shine, luster, gloss”) * Faroese glæma (“gleam, glimmer”) * Old High German glīmen (“to glow, shine”); gleimo, glīmo (“glowworm”) (Middle High German glīme, gleime) * Old Saxon glīmo (“brightness”)

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

leamflickerglimmertracedazzlelambencyshineglintglowsparkle

NYT Puzzle Appearances

Accepted in 3 recorded puzzles:

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