From Middle English glisnen, glistnen, from Old English glisnian, itself from Proto-West Germanic *glisnōn, while ultimately deriving from Proto-Germanic *glisnōną.

• IPA: /ˈɡlɪsən/

glisten (glistens, present participle glistening; simple past and past participle glistened)

1. (intransitive, of a wet or greasy surface) To reflect light with a glittering luster; to sparkle, coruscate, glint or flash.
   • 1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC ↗, part I, page 202 ↗:

     The sun was fierce, the land seemed to glisten and drip with steam.

• French: reluire
• German: glitzern, glänzen, gleißen
• Italian: luccicare
• Portuguese: reluzir
• Russian: блесте́ть
• Spanish: relucir, rielar

glisten (plural glistens)

1. A glistening shine from a wet surface.