shimmer
n.a soft, bright light that moves across a surface. You often see this when the sun reflects off water or when you look at a shiny object.
n.a soft, wavering light or a faint, sparkling appearance on a surface. Often describes the reflection of light on water or the visual effect of a polished or metallic surface.
“The sun created a beautiful shimmer on the lake.”
“The jeweler noticed a faint shimmer on the diamond when he held it up to the light.”
“As the sun began to set, a golden shimmer spread across the horizon, creating a magical atmosphere over the quiet bay.”
From Middle English schimeren, from Old English sċymrian, sċimrian, sċimerian, from Proto-Germanic *skimarōną. Cognate with Dutch schemeren, German schimmern.
From shim + -er.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.