An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/gleißen

by Friedrich Kluge

gleißen, verb, ‘to shine, glitter,’ from Middle High German glîȥen, Old High German glîȥȥan, strong verb, ‘to shine, light, glitter’; corresponding to Old Saxon glîtan, to which Gothic glitmunjan, Old Icelandic glita, glitra (English to glitter), ‘to shine.’ The Old Teutonic root ghlī̆d (pre-Teutonic ghlī̆d) appears also in glitzern.