glance1

[glans, glahns] /glæns, glɑns/
verb (used without object), glanced, glancing.
1.
to look quickly or briefly.
2.
to gleam or flash:
a silver brooch glancing in the sunlight.
3.
to strike a surface or object obliquely, especially so as to bounce off at an angle (often followed by off):
The arrow glanced off his shield.
4.
to allude briefly to a topic or subject in passing (usually followed by at).
verb (used with object), glanced, glancing. Archaic.
5.
to cast a glance or brief look at; catch a glimpse of.
6.
to cast or reflect, as a gleam.
7.
to throw, hit, kick, shoot, etc. (something) so that it glances off a surface or object.
noun
8.
a quick or brief look.
9.
a gleam or flash of light, especially reflected light.
10.
a deflected movement or course; an oblique rebound.
11.
a passing reference or allusion; insinuation.
12.
Cricket. a stroke in which the batsman deflects the ball with the bat, as to leg.
Origin
1400-50; late Middle English glancen (v.), nasalized variant (perhaps influenced by obsolete glent; see glint) of Middle English glacen to strike a glancing blow < Old French glacier to slip, slide < Latin glaciāre to freeze. See glacé
Synonyms
2. glisten, scintillate. See flash. 3. reflect, ricochet. 9. glitter.

glance2

[glans, glahns] /glæns, glɑns/
noun
1.
any of various minerals having a luster that indicates a metallic nature.
Origin
1795-1805; < German Glanz brightness, luster
Examples from the web for glance
  • Have them glance at the pictures of the pterosaur heads briefly.
  • At first glance this seems somewhat counterintuitive but on reflection it makes perfect sense.
  • That's why the world is wary of change its glance other way.
  • But if you stop to catch your breath and glance down, a whole new set of wonders reveals itself at your feet.
  • Though at first glance it may resemble other commuter vehicles, a few key features set it apart.
  • But a glance at the figures shows that the staff totals represent automatic stages in an inevitable increase.
  • Calls that involved no reversal of rank registered as status quo and barely triggered a glance.
  • When sunlight hits a raindrop, some photons glance off the surface.
  • Export industries may have a better chance of benefiting from a global recovery than the figures suggest at first glance.
  • We appear to be able to read words at a glance without being aware of each letter.
British Dictionary definitions for glance

glance1

/ɡlɑːns/
verb
1.
(intransitive) to look hastily or briefly
2.
(intransitive; foll by over, through, etc) to look over briefly: to glance through a report
3.
(intransitive) to reflect, glint, or gleam: the sun glanced on the water
4.
(intransitive) usually foll by off. to depart (from an object struck) at an oblique angle: the arrow glanced off the tree
5.
(transitive) to strike at an oblique angle: the arrow glanced the tree
noun
6.
a hasty or brief look; peep
7.
at a glance, from one's first look; immediately
8.
a flash or glint of light; gleam
9.
the act or an instance of an object glancing or glancing off another
10.
a brief allusion or reference
11.
(cricket) a stroke in which the ball is deflected off the bat to the leg side; glide
Derived Forms
glancing, adverb
glancingly, adverb
Usage note
Glance is sometimes wrongly used where glimpse is meant: he caught a glimpse (not glance) of her making her way through the crowd
Word Origin
C15: modification of glacen to strike obliquely, from Old French glacier to slide (see glacis); compare Middle English glenten to make a rapid sideways movement, glint

glance2

/ɡlɑːns/
noun
1.
any mineral having a metallic lustre, esp a simple sulphide: copper glance
Word Origin
C19: from German Glanz brightness, lustre
Word Origin and History for glance
v.

mid-15c., of weapons, from glacen "to graze, strike a glancing blow" (c.1300), from Old French glacier "to slip, make slippery," from glace "ice" (see glacial). Sense of "look quickly" (first recorded 1580s) probably was influenced in form and meaning by Middle English glenten "look askance" (see glint). Related: Glanced; glancing.

n.

c.1500, "sudden movement producing a flash," from glance (v.). Meaning "brief or hurried look" is from 1590s.

Idioms and Phrases with glance

glance

see: at first blush (glance)