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Today it means

glitter

to shine with a bright, sparkling light, or small sparkling decorative particles

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Where does the word "glitter" come from? It comes from Old Norse glitra, and was adopted directly into English (1300s).

Read the full story

Where does the word "glitter" come from? It comes from Old Norse glitra, and was adopted directly into English (1300s).

Glitter’s story begins in Old Norse: glitra meant “to shine brightly.” 'all that glitters is not gold' comes from Shakespeare's 'Merchant of Venice'. It reached English by 1300s as glitter. Settled as the English word for sparkling, reflected light. Today, glitter means to shine with a bright, sparkling light, or small sparkling decorative particles.

  1. Stage 1 · Old Norse · medieval glitra "to shine brightly", 'all that glitters is not gold' comes from Shakespeare's 'Merchant of Venice'.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1300s glitter "to shine with a sparkling light", settled as the English word for sparkling, reflected light.

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