An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/glitzern

by Friedrich Kluge

glitzern, verb, ‘to glitter, glisten,’ from the equivalent Middle High German glitzern, frequentative of Middle High German glitzen, ‘to shine’; compare Old High German glizzinôn; allied to gleißen, Old High German gliȥȥan. Anglo-Saxon *glitorian, English to glitter, Old Icelandic glitra, ‘to shine,’ are similarly formed.