▪ I. glow, n.
(gləʊ)
[f. glow v.]
1. The state or condition of glowing with heat. a. Shining heat. Phr. in a glow (cf. aglow).
| 1827 Keble Chr. Y. 4th Sund. aft. Easter vii, The struggling spark of good within..They quicken to a timely glow. 1847 Emerson Poems, Woodnotes, Drifting sand-heaps feed my stock In summer's scorching glow. 1850 D. G. Mitchell Reveries Bachelor 82 But my fire is in a glow. 1878 Huxley Physiogr. 77 The merest point remains in a state of glow. 1881 Maxwell Electr. & Magn. I. 56 The electrical glow is therefore produced by the constant passage of electricity through a small portion of air in which the tension is very high. |
b. A lively sensation of animal heat. Phr. in a glow, colloq. (all) of a glow.
| 1793 Beddoes Calculus 194 The glow experienced in coming out of a cold bath. 1820 W. Scoresby Arct. Reg. II. 353 In chasing each other round the decks, they had excited a genial glow of heat in their bodies. 1831 J. Davies Manual Mat. Med. 59 In a few minutes a comfortable glow succeeded. 1865 Dickens Mut. Fr. i. vi, ‘Sit close to the fire..You must be frozen.’ ‘Well Lizzie, I ain't of a glow, that's certain.’ |
2. Brightness and warmth of colour; a state of glowing brightness, a flush. Applied esp. to the warm red of the cheeks indicating youth or health.
| 1600 Shakes. A.Y.L. iii. iv. 57 A pageant truely plaid Betweene the pale complexion of true Loue, And the red glowe of scorne. 1727–46 Thomson Summer 147 At thee the ruby lights its deepening glow. 1775 Sheridan Duenna ii. i, Then the roses on those cheeks are shaded with a sort of velvet down, that gives a delicacy to the glow of health. 1795 Gentl. Mag. 540/1 The glow of ripe fruits and declining leaves mark the Autumn. 1813 Scott Rokeby i. i, The moon is in her summer glow. 1835 W. Irving Tour Prairies 77 We perceived..a ruddy glow flushing up the sky. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. xix. IV. 534 Mary was gone, cut off in the prime of life, in the glow of beauty. 1860 Tyndall Glac. ii. i. 228 The red glow of the mountains at sunset. 1867 M. E. Herbert Cradle L. iv. 125 Her face seemed lighted up with an unearthly glow. 1878 Browning La Saisiaz 85, I..Saw proceed the transmutation—Jura's black to one gold glow. |
3. Warmth of feeling or passion; ardour.
| 1748 J. Mason Elocut. 35 Cicero observes that there must be a Glow in our Stile if we would warm our Hearers. 1815 Byron ‘There's not a joy the world can give’ i, When the glow of early thought declines in feeling's dull decay. 1853 J. H. Newman Hist. Sk. (1873) II. ii. iii. 253 On this occasion he felt the glow of self-approbation. 1863 Geo. Eliot Romola ii. viii, Romola felt herself surrounded and possessed by the glow of his passionate faith. 1865 Dickens Mut. Fr. iii. vi, ‘And you come, brother’, said Mr. Wegg in a hospitable glow. 1867 Stanley Westm. Abb. vi. (1868) 454 In the glow of a religious revival. |
4. Comb., some of which may be combs. of vb. glow: glow-beetle, † glow-bug = glow-worm; glow-discharge, ‘the luminous discharge of electricity from the pointed conductor of an electric machine in vigorous action where the electrified particles of air stream away’ (Syd. Soc. Lex. 1885); also, the luminous electrical discharge in a gas-filled tube; glow-fly = fire-fly; glow-lamp, a lamp in which the light results from the incandescence of a resisting substance, e.g. carbon, produced by the passage of an electric current; glow-light, a glowing light; spec. a glow-lamp; glow-lighting, lighting by glow-lamps; glow plug, an electrically heated plug used to ignite the gas in a gas turbine or rocket engine.
| 1860 Piesse Lab. Chem. Wonders 2 Glow-worm, more correctly *glow-beetle. |
| 1781 S. Peters Hist. Connecticut 259 The *Glow-bug both crawls and flies, and is about half an inch long. |
| 1844 H. M. Noad Lect. Electr. (ed. 2) ii. 45 *Glow discharge, when a fine point is used to produce disruptive discharge from a positively charged conductor, the brush gives place to a quiet phosphorescent continuous glow. 1871 tr. Schellen's Spectr. Anal. lxx. 423 The glow-discharge is perfectly noiseless. 1937 Discovery Feb. 54/1 The glow discharge from the first electrode. 1963 B. Fozard Instrumentation Nucl. Reactors ii. 25 Any further increase in applied voltage is likely to initiate a continuous glow discharge which may cause irreparable damage to the tube. |
| 1789 E. Darwin Bot. Gard. ii. 137 So shines the *glow-fly, when the sun retires. 1851 P. H. Gosse Naturalist's Soj. Jamaica 106, I will now speak of our other luminous insect, the Glow-fly (Pyrophorus noctilucus). |
| 1884 Daily News 6 Mar. 5/1 For general domestic illumination he thought the *glow-lamp, as made by Swan and Edison, was the proper one. |
| 1891 Cassell's Family Mag. Oct. 700/2 Ten shillings is paid for an equivalent *glow-light in the same time. 1913 Pop. Mag. 1 May 85/2 The Potomac's captain ordered even the tiny glow light illuminating the compass..to be covered. 1934 T. S. Eliot Rock ii. 84 Glow-worm glow-light on a grassblade. |
| 1894 Daily News 2 Oct. 6/6 For *glow-lighting there is one 200 kwt. steam alternator for supplying 5,700 eight candle-power lamps. |
| 1947 Jrnl. Brit. Interplanetary Soc. VI. 106 A spark or *glow plug projecting directly into the chamber can be used. 1961 Guardian 3 Apr. 4/1 When you press the switch, an electric glow-plug heats up and ignites the oil vapour in the burner. |
▪ II. glow, v.1
(gləʊ)
Pa. tense and pa. pple. glowed. Forms: OE. glówan, 4, 6 glowe(n, 5 glowyn, glewe, (7 gloue), 4– glow. pa. pple. 8 rare glown.
[OE. glówan, recorded only in pr. pple. glówende and pa. tense gléow, was a redupl. str. vb., but the corresponding vbs. in the other Teut. langs. are weak: OS. glôjan in Oxf. glosses (Du. gloeien), OHG. gluoen (MHG. glüen, glüejen, mod.Ger. glühen), ON. (*glówa) glóa, also glœ́ja (MSw. ? gloa, glöia, Sw. dial., Da. glo; for Sw., Da. glo to stare, see glow v.2). As the vb. is wk. after OE., it is possible that the existing word may not be the descendant of OE. glówan, but an adoption from ON. The Teut. root *glô- appears also in gleed, and perh. in OE. glóm (see gloaming), though the latter may possibly contain the ablaut-variant *glæ̂-; the weak-grade of the root, *glă-, is found in glass, perh. also in glade.]
1. a. intr. To be heated to the point of incandescence; to emit bright light and heat without flame. Said also of a fire. † to glow out, to go out with a glow, subside from its glow.
| c 1000 ælfric Hom. (1844) I. 424 Lecᵹað ða isenan clutas hate glowende to his sidan. ― Saints' Lives vii. 240 Þæt fyr wearð þa acwenced þæt þær an col ne gleow. c 1050 Aldhelm Glosses (Bodl.) in Napier O.E. Glosses I. 4409 Fulminauit, pro claruit, gleow, scan. c 1290 Michael 531 in S.E. Leg. I. 315 Ase ȝif a man nome a sclabbe of Ire þat glowynde were a-fuyre. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 7221 With brynand bandes hate glowand. a 1400 Isumbras 394 Smethymene thore herde he blawe, And fyres thore bryne and glewe [rime ploghe]. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 200/1 Glowyn, as hoote yryne, candeo. 1623 Cockeram, Glow, to be hot or red. 1780 Johnson Let. to Mrs. Thrale 9 June, I..found it [Newgate] in ruins, with the fire yet glowing. 1799 G. Smith Laboratory I. 146 When it is nearly all glown out, add such another quantity to it, and let it glow for an hour. |
| fig. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. xx. 188 Til the holy gost bygynne to glowen and blase. |
b. quasi-trans. with cognate obj.
| 1742 Young Nt. Th. iv. 192 Shall pagan pages glow celestial flame, And christian languish? |
c. Of the eyes: to glow into, to penetrate as by burning. nonce-use.
| 1842 Lytton Zanoni vii. xiii, Mine eyes shall glow into thy brain. |
2. a. To shine, emit light, appear suffused with radiance, like something intensely heated.
| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 114 Glas þat glowed & glyȝt. a 1400–50 Alexander 3368 The fourte was a granate þat glowys all þar fynest. c 1420 Anturs of Arth. xxxi, His gloues and his gamesuns gloet [v.rr glowed, glomede] as the gledes. 1667 Milton P.L. iv. 604 Now glow'd the Firmament With living Saphirs. 1711 Pope Temp. Fame 143 As heav'n with stars, the roof with jewels glows. 1802 Campbell Hohenlinden v, But redder yet that light shall glow On Linden's hills of stainèd snow. 1827 Scott Let. to Lockhart in Life v, The eye [of Burns]..glowed (I say literally glowed) when he spoke with feeling or interest. 1860 Tyndall Glac. i. xvi. 106 One peak of snow in particular glowed like fire. |
b. To gaze with ‘glowing’ eyes. rare—1. Cf. glow v.2 (quot. c 1374).
| 1856 Mrs. Browning Aur. Leigh ii. 343 There he glowed on me With all his face and eyes. |
c. To pass to or into a glowing colour.
| 1888 Mrs. H. Ward R. Elsmere xi, The stretches of purple heather, glowing into scarlet under the touch of the sun. 1906 E. Phillpotts Portreeve ii. i, The breath of ocean made visible..glowed into red gold as the sun descended. |
3. To be brilliant and ‘warm’ in colouring.
| c 1386 Chaucer Knt.'s T. 1274 The cercles of hise eyen in his heed They gloweden bitwyxen yelow and reed. 1667 Milton P.L. viii. 618 A smile that glow'd Celestial rosie red, Loves proper hue. a 1700 Dryden (J.), Clad in a gown that glows with Tyrian rays. 1703 Pope Vertumnus 100 The fair fruit that on yon' branches glows. 1727–46 Thomson Summer 1327 Or as the rose..Fresh from Aurora's hand, more sweetly glows. 1792 S. Rogers Pleas. Mem. ii. 65 Quaff the palm's rich nectar as it glows. 1834 Lytton Pompeii i. i, His tunic glowed in the richest hues of the Tyrian dye. 1867 Deutsch in Rem. (1874) 2 Pictures teeming with life, glowing with colour. |
4. To be excessively hot; to be on fire, to burn. lit. and fig.
| 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. iv. 103 And þenne falleþ þer fur on false menne houses, And good menne for here gultes gloweþ on fuyr after. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. i. 323 The torrid Zone Glows with the passing and repassing Sun. 1709 E. Smith To Mem. J. Philips 150 Yawning Gulphs with flaming Vengeance glow. 1716 Addison Ovid's Met. ii. Phaeton 105 From their nostrils flows The scorching fire, that in their entrails glows. 1789 E. Darwin Botanic Garden ii. ii. 103 Then fly the spoles, the rapid axles glow. |
5. To burn with bodily heat; usually with the accompaniment of heightened colour. Also const. with predic. adj.
| c 1386 Chaucer Can. Yeom. Prol. & T. 1096 For shame of him my chekes wexen rede; Algates, they biginnen for to glowe. 1535 Joye Apol. Tindale 42 Myne eares glowed for shame to here him. 1601 Holland Pliny xxviii. ii. 297 c, Moreover, is not this an opinion generally received, That when our ears do glow and tingle, some there be that in our absence doe talke of us? 1693 Dryden Ovid's Met. i. 650 She glows with blushes, and she hangs her head. 1708 Hearne Collect. 3 Feb. (O.H.S.) II. 92 A..Sermon, which would have made ye Ears of ye Whiggs glow. 1830 Cunningham Brit. Paint. II. 66 His brow glowed, he burst into tears and hurried out of the room. 1838 Lytton Alice 126 Her cheek glowed while she spoke. 1855 Kingsley Westw. Ho! i, Turning first deadly pale, and then glowing red. 1884 W. C. Smith Kildrostan 95 Girls, all glowing with the flush of life. 1907 Smart Set Jan. 126/2 With cheeks glowing red. |
6. To burn with the fervour of emotion or passion. Said of persons and their feelings.
| a 1649 Drummond of Hawthornden Hymn Fairest Fair 1, I feele my Bosome glow with wontlesse Fires. 1706 Prior Ode on Success Her Majesty's Arms 141 While with fiercest ire Bellona glows. 1732 Berkeley Alciphr. iii. §1 A certain ardour or enthusiasm that glowed in the breast of a gallant man. 1741 Richardson Pamela (1824) I. 131, I glowed between shame and delight. 1787 F. Burney Diary 27 Jan., I trembled and glowed alternately with surprise and pleasure at this recital. 1788 Gibbon Decl. & F. V. lii. 440 The courage of the first ages of the republic glowed in his breast. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. xv. III. 521 The Tories, glowing with resentment which was but too just, were resolved [etc.]. 1878 R. W. Dale Lect. Preach. ix. 270 Some of them glowing with the heat of early enthusiasm. |
† 7. trans. causatively. To make hot; to heat.
| 1599 A. M. tr. Gabelhouer's Bk. Physicke 125/1 Glowe them [Wallenuttes] in the fyere, then proiecte them in a gobblet with oulde wine. 1606 Shakes. Ant. & Cl. ii. ii. 209 Fannes whose winde did seeme, To gloue the delicate cheekes which they did coole. 1683 Pettus Fleta Min. i. 140 Glow it often that it may not be shivery. |
▪ III. glow, v.2 Obs. exc. dial.
Also 5 glogh; cf. glew v.2
[Cf. Sw., Da. glo to stare, look sullen; it may possibly be a use of glow v.1]
intr. To stare.
| c 1374 Chaucer Boeth. i. pr. i. 2 (Camb. MS.) She was a lytel amoued and glowede with cruwel eyen. c 1400 Destr. Troy 2922 To glogh vppon gomes at gedering of folke. c 1420 [see gaw v.]. 1611 Cotgr., Borgnoyer, to glow, glote, or loure. 1678 Dryden & Lee Œdipus iv. i, A thousand frantick Spirits..Peep'd from the watry Brink, and glow'd upon me. 1843 John's Acc. Trip to Bristol in Halliwell Dict. Introd. 27/2 Tha 'osses did glowy, an' tha sheep glowied too. 1863 in Barnes Dorset Gloss. 1880 W. Cornwall Gloss., Glow, to stare; to look cross. |
▪ IV. glow(e
obs. form of clove n.2
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xvii. lxxix. (1495) 652 Glowes highte Gariophili. |