glitten

English

WOTD – 21 December 2016

One type of glitten. The large compartment on the back can be flipped over the fingers to turn the glove into a mitten.

Etymology 1

Blend of glove +‎ mitten.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɡlɪtn̩/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪtən
• Hyphenation: glit‧ten

Noun

glitten (plural glittens)

1. A cross between a glove and a mitten, often in the form of a fingerless glove with an attached mitten-like flap that can be used to cover the fingers.
   • 2009 April 8, Barbara Hurd, “Dog-walking Glittens”, in Not Now, I'm Knitting: Sweaters, Shawls, Vests, and Other Patterns in Classic and Contemporary Styles, Bloomington, Ind.: AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 43:

     These glittens are perfect for winter walks with a spunky dog. They keep you warm and, hopefully, give you the control you need to let her know who's in charge.

   • 2012 January 16, Meghan O'Neill, “Mittens VS Gloves: The Battle Continues”, in The Gloss‎^[1], archived from the original on 19 December 2016:

     Glittens / Is that a word? It probably is. A combination of both gloves and mittens, glittens claim to have the best of both worlds. But is it possible to find a cute pair? We took to the streets. And by that, we mean we emailed our friends that were known mitten/glove/glitten enthusiasts (it's cold out there!) […]

   • 2014, Kelly Kittel, “Acknowledgements”, in Breathe: A Memoir of Motherhood, Grief, and Family Conflict, Berkeley, Calif.: She Writes Press, →ISBN:

     [T]he Glen Ridge Farm Huacaya alpacas who grew the wool from which my glittens were knit.

Etymology 2

From Middle English glitenen, from Old English glitnian, perhaps from Proto-Germanic *glitinōną, from a root cognate with Old Norse glitra + Proto-Germanic *-inōną. Ultimately from *ǵʰel- (“to shine, shimmer, glow”). Related to Old English glisnian (“to glisten”), Old English glīdan (“to glide”). Largely diplaced by glitter.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɡlɪtn̩/
• Rhymes: -ɪtən
• Hyphenation: glit‧ten

Verb

glitten (third-person singular simple present glittens, present participle glittening, simple past and past participle glittened)

1. (archaic, dialecical) to glisten, to reflect, to shimmer.
   • 1880, George Chittenden Benham, A Year of Wreck: A True Story, by a Victim, page 439:

     At one of the river landings I passed, there was something white glittening in the moonlight.

   • 1881, Annie S. Wolf, Pictures and Portraits of Foreign Travel, page 224:

     Oh, yes, there were a hundredfold more beggars and swaggerers among the docks than upon the granite mount, but there was too much diversion to heed the tricks of sharpers in the crush of the myriad craft and the throngs of sailors on duty on the merchantmen, the hordes of poor panting human toilers loading and unloading the trading vessels locked in the basins, and the care-free troops of seamen off duty, with full pockets and light hearts, whose gold was soon to vanish in the seduction of the glittening casinos and their black-eyed sweethearts.

   • 1854, George Lippard, The Nazarene; Or, The Last of the Washingtons:

     Presently a purple curtain that hung between two massive pillars, was withdrawn, and two female slaves, whose dark limbs, glittened with bracelets of gold, appeared in the hall, holding torches in their hands.

   • 1865, Derwent Coleridge, The Poems of Winthrop Mackworth Praed, page 13:

     And then he ponders, in his trance, - On Mary's love-inspiring glance, On Chloe's eye of glittening fire, And Laura's look of fond desire.

   • c. 1900, George Tobias Flom, Scandinavian Influence on Southern Lowland Scotch:

     Glete, gleit, vb, to glitter. Douglas, I, 33; II, 88, 16; Montg. C. and S., 1288; Dunbar, G. T., 66, O. N. glita, to glitter, Dan. glitte, Cp. Shetland glid, a glittering object. O. E. glitnian > M. E. glitenien, as O. E. glisnian > M. E. glistnian, N. Eng. glisten. The M. E. glitenian (N. Eng. *glitten) was replaced by the Scand. glitter.

Anagrams

• ettling, letting

German

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

glitten

1. inflection of gleiten:
   1. first/third-person plural preterite
   2. first/third-person plural subjunctive II