Other forms: shimmering, shimmers
To shimmer is to shine with a soft wavering light. The water shimmered, a shimmer of heat, shimmering silk.
The wavering is what distinguishes it — a shimmer moves where a glow does not, which is why it suits water, silk and hot air. Heat shimmer above a road is refraction through air of different densities. As a noun a shimmer is that effect. Note shimmery; and that the word is Old English and related to the German schimmern.
1verbshimmerTo shine with a soft wavering light.
“The surface of the lake shimmered softly in the moonlight.”
2nouneffectThat wavering effect.
“The silk dress had a lovely shimmer when she moved under the lights.”
3nounglitterMake-up containing fine glitter, so that it catches the light.
“She put a touch of shimmer on her cheekbones for the party.”
Old English scymrian is Germanic, related to shine. Dutch schemeren and German schimmern come from the same shining.
Proto-Germanic
*skimarōną
Old English
sċymrian
Middle English
schimeren
English, today
shimmer
From Middle English schimeren, from Old English sċymrian, sċimrian, sċimerian, from Proto-Germanic skimarōną. Cognate with Dutch schemeren, German schimmern.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA
Practised in Ways of Looking