Glances

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈɡlænsɪz/

Definitions

1. A quick look at something or someone ; a brief reference to a topic or subject
2. A short, rapid view taken in passing ; a concise mention or allusion to a matter
3. An immediate and rapid visual observation ; a fleeting mention or indication of an issue

Etymology: "Glances" is simply the plural of "glance," so its history is that of the noun, which was formed from the verb. The verb is the more tangled one. It blends several Old French and Middle English roots: one meaning "to slide" or "slip" (from "glace," ice), another "to avoid" or "change direction" (from a Germanic root meaning "to move aside" or "to sway"), and a third, "to strike obliquely," which is how a blow could glance off a shield or armour. Those strands merged into the sense of a blow or movement that skims past rather than hitting straight on. The sense of a quick look seems to have come later, probably through partial mixing with a Middle English verb meaning "to look askance," the ancestor of "glint." That mixing may also explain the "n" that now sits in the middle of the word. So the act of looking briefly borrowed its shape from a word about light and sideways motion.

Synonyms: looks, gazes, stares

Antonyms: gazes away, ignores