Leem

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. A faint glimmer or flash of light ; to give off a dim, weak shine
2. A slight, fleeting glint of brightness ; to glow or shimmer with a soft, pale light
3. A dim, passing ray of light ; to beam or glimmer faintly in the dark

Etymology: "Leem" is a variant spelling of "leam," which in Middle English meant a ray or gleam of light, and the verb sense "to glow faintly" grew naturally out of that noun. The noun came from Old English "lēoma," which meant a ray of light, beam, radiance, or even lightning, so the word's earliest sense was close to what we would now call a shaft of light rather than a soft, dim glow. The verb descends from Middle English "lemen," itself from Old English "līeman," meaning to shine or to give light. Both forms trace back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "light, shine," which is also related to Icelandic "ljómi," meaning gleam or flash of light. The same ancient root sits behind Latin "lumen," meaning light, which is why the English word and the Latin one share a distant family resemblance despite their very different routes into the language.