Part 514

Transient unexpected gleams of joi.

Addison.

At last a gleam Of dawning light turned thitherward in haste His [Satan's] traveled steps.

Milton.

A glimmer, and then a gleam of light.

Longfellow.

2. Brightness; splendor.

In the clear azure gleam the flocks are seen.

Pope.

Gleam, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Gleamed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Gleaming.] 1. To shoot, or dart, as rays of light; as, at the dawn, light gleams in the east.

2. To shine; to cast light; to glitter.

Syn. -- To Gleam, Glimmer, Glitter. To gleam denotes a faint but distinct emission of light. To glimmer describes an indistinct and unsteady giving of light. To glitter imports a brightness that is intense, but varying. The morning light gleams upon the earth; a distant taper glimmers through the mist; a dewdrop glitters in the sun. See Flash.

Gleam, v. t. To shoot out (flashes of light, etc.).

Dying eyes gleamed forth their ashy lights.

Shak.

Gleam"y, a. Darting beams of light; casting light in rays; flashing; coruscating.

In brazed arms, that cast a gleamy ray, Swift through the town the warrior bends his way.

Pope.

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Glean (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Gleaned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Gleaning.] [OE. glenen, OF. glener, glaner, F. glaner, fr. LL. glenare; cf. W. glan clean, glanh&?;u to clean, purify, or AS. gelm, gilm, a hand&?;ul.]

1. To gather after a reaper; to collect in scattered or fragmentary parcels, as the grain left by a reaper, or grapes left after the gathering.

To glean the broken ears after the man That the main harvest reaps.

Shak.

2. To gather from (a field or vineyard) what is left.

3. To collect with patient and minute labor; to pick out; to obtain.

Content to glean what we can from . . . experiments.

Locke.

Glean, v. i. 1. To gather stalks or ears of grain left by reapers.