glamour

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Scots glamour (“magic”), alteration of Middle English gramere (“grammar”), from Old French gramaire. Doublet of glamoury, gramarye, grammar, and grimoire. A connection has also been suggested with Old Norse glámr (“the moon", also "the name of a ghost”, poetic byname, literally “the pale one”) and glámsýni (“glamour, illusion”, literally “glam-sight”). From Grettir's Saga aka Grettis Saga, one of the Sagas of Icelanders, after the hero has been cursed by Glam, aka Glamr: "...he was become so fearsome a man in the dark, that he durst go nowhither alone after nightfall, for then he seemed to see all kinds of horrors. And that has fallen since into a proverb, that "Glam lends eyes", or gives Glamsight to those who see things nowise as they are."

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɡlæmə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɡlæmɚ/
• Rhymes: -æmə(ɹ)

Noun

glamour (countable and uncountable, plural glamours)

1. (uncountable) Originally, enchantment; magic charm; especially, the effect of a spell that causes one to see objects in a form that differs from reality, typically to make filthy, ugly, or repulsive things seem beauteous.
   • 1882, James Thomson (B. V.), The City of Dreadful Night:

     They often murmur to themselves, they speak
     To one another seldom, for their woe
     Broods maddening inwardly and scorns to wreak
     Itself abroad; and if at whiles it grow
     To frenzy which must rave, none heeds the clamour,
     Unless there waits some victim of like glamour,
     To rave in turn, who lends attentive show.

2. (uncountable) Alluring beauty or charm (often with sex appeal).

   glamour magazines; a glamour model

3. (uncountable) Any excitement, appeal, or attractiveness associated with a person, place, or thing; that which makes something appealing.

   The idea of being a movie star has lost its glamour for me.

   • 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 197:

     “The North Pole was one of these places, I remember. Well, I haven’t been there yet, and shall not try now. The glamour’s off.”

   • 1950 May 7, The Daily Telegraph, Sydney, page 13, column 3:

     Boys have not lost their love for adventure, and still have `itchy feet.' Many are seeking glamor jobs, want to be writers, detectives, seamen.

4. Any artificial interest in, or association with, objects, or persons, through which they appear delusively magnified or glorified.
5. A kind of haze in the air, causing things to appear different from what they really are.
   • 1861 October, “The Nelumbium Luteum, or Yellow Egyptian Lotus.”, in Thomas Meehan, editor, The Gardner’s Monthly and Advertiser Horticultural, volume III, number 10, 23 North Sixth Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, page 311:

     When the golden October comes, with its witching of hazy air that makes a glamour for all things and any landscape, we shall see these offspring of poetic myth stretch out beside the creeks, breaking the tender hulls for their magical chincapins, and feeding on them and on the dreams of which they are the talismans.

6. (countable) An item, motif, person, image that by association improves appearance.

Alternative forms

• glamor (US); however, the -our spelling is the more common spelling, even in the US

Derived terms

• beglamour
• beglamourment
• glam
• glammed up
• glamorous/glamourous
• glamorously
• glamour issue
• glamour model
• glamour photography
• glamour-puss
• glam rock
• glitz and glamour

 

Descendants

• → Catalan: glamur
• → Danish: glamour
• → Dutch: glamour
• → Finnish: glamour
• → French: glamour
• → German: Glamour
• Norwegian:

  → Norwegian Bokmål: glamour

  → Norwegian Nynorsk: glamour

• → Russian: гламур (glamur)
• → Spanish: glamur, glamour
• → Swedish: glamour

Translations

beauty or charm

• Bulgarian: очарование (bg) n (očarovanie), магия (bg) f (magija)
• Catalan: glamur (ca) m
• Danish: glamour c
• Dutch: glamour (nl) m
• Finnish: glamour (fi)
• French: charme (fr) m
• German: Glamour (de) m or n, betörender Glanz m
• Hindi: आभा (hi) f (ābhā), सौन्दर्य m (saundarya)
• Latin: nitor (la) m
• Macedonian: сјај m (sjaj)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: glamour m

  Nynorsk: glamour m

• Portuguese: glamour (pt) m, elegância (pt) f, encanto (pt) m
• Romanian: farmec (ro) n
• Russian: гламур (ru) m (glamur)
• Spanish: fascinación (es), elegancia (es) f, encanto (es) m
• Swedish: glamour (sv) c
• Ukrainian: гламур (hlamur)

Verb

glamour (third-person singular simple present glamours, present participle glamouring, simple past and past participle glamoured)

1. (transitive) To enchant; to bewitch.

Translations

enchant, bewitch

• Esperanto: prisorĉi

References

• “Glámr” in: Richard Cleasby, Guðbrandur Vigfússon — An Icelandic-English Dictionary (1874)

Danish

Etymology

From English glamour.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡlamuːr/, [ɡ̊laˈmuːɐ̯] or IPA^(key): /ɡlamɔr/, [ˈɡ̊lamɒ]

Noun

glamour c (singular definite glamouren, not used in plural form)

1. glamour

Derived terms

• glamourisere
• glamourøs

Finnish

Etymology

From French glamour.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡlɑmour/, [ˈɡlɑ̝mo̞ur]
• Rhymes: -ɑmour
• Hyphenation^(key): gla‧mo‧ur

Noun

glamour

1. glamour (alluring beauty or charm)

Declension

Inflection of glamour (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
nominative		glamour	glamourit
genitive		glamourin	glamourien
partitive		glamouria	glamoureja
illative		glamouriin	glamoureihin
		singular	plural
nominative		glamour	glamourit
accusative	nom.	glamour	glamourit
	gen.	glamourin
genitive		glamourin	glamourien
partitive		glamouria	glamoureja
inessive		glamourissa	glamoureissa
elative		glamourista	glamoureista
illative		glamouriin	glamoureihin
adessive		glamourilla	glamoureilla
ablative		glamourilta	glamoureilta
allative		glamourille	glamoureille
essive		glamourina	glamoureina
translative		glamouriksi	glamoureiksi
abessive		glamouritta	glamoureitta
instructive		—	glamourein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of glamour (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative glamourini glamourini accusative nom. glamourini glamourini gen. glamourini genitive glamourini glamourieni partitive glamouriani glamourejani inessive glamourissani glamoureissani elative glamouristani glamoureistani illative glamouriini glamoureihini adessive glamourillani glamoureillani ablative glamouriltani glamoureiltani allative glamourilleni glamoureilleni essive glamourinani glamoureinani translative glamourikseni glamoureikseni abessive glamourittani glamoureittani instructive — — comitative — glamoureineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative glamourisi glamourisi accusative nom. glamourisi glamourisi gen. glamourisi genitive glamourisi glamouriesi partitive glamouriasi glamourejasi inessive glamourissasi glamoureissasi elative glamouristasi glamoureistasi illative glamouriisi glamoureihisi adessive glamourillasi glamoureillasi ablative glamouriltasi glamoureiltasi allative glamourillesi glamoureillesi essive glamourinasi glamoureinasi translative glamouriksesi glamoureiksesi abessive glamourittasi glamoureittasi instructive — — comitative — glamoureinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative glamourimme glamourimme accusative nom. glamourimme glamourimme gen. glamourimme genitive glamourimme glamouriemme partitive glamouriamme glamourejamme inessive glamourissamme glamoureissamme elative glamouristamme glamoureistamme illative glamouriimme glamoureihimme adessive glamourillamme glamoureillamme ablative glamouriltamme glamoureiltamme allative glamourillemme glamoureillemme essive glamourinamme glamoureinamme translative glamouriksemme glamoureiksemme abessive glamourittamme glamoureittamme instructive — — comitative — glamoureinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative glamourinne glamourinne accusative nom. glamourinne glamourinne gen. glamourinne genitive glamourinne glamourienne partitive glamourianne glamourejanne inessive glamourissanne glamoureissanne elative glamouristanne glamoureistanne illative glamouriinne glamoureihinne adessive glamourillanne glamoureillanne ablative glamouriltanne glamoureiltanne allative glamourillenne glamoureillenne essive glamourinanne glamoureinanne translative glamouriksenne glamoureiksenne abessive glamourittanne glamoureittanne instructive — — comitative — glamoureinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative glamourinsa glamourinsa accusative nom. glamourinsa glamourinsa gen. glamourinsa genitive glamourinsa glamouriensa partitive glamouriaan glamouriansa glamourejaan glamourejansa inessive glamourissaan glamourissansa glamoureissaan glamoureissansa elative glamouristaan glamouristansa glamoureistaan glamoureistansa illative glamouriinsa glamoureihinsa adessive glamourillaan glamourillansa glamoureillaan glamoureillansa ablative glamouriltaan glamouriltansa glamoureiltaan glamoureiltansa allative glamourilleen glamourillensa glamoureilleen glamoureillensa essive glamourinaan glamourinansa glamoureinaan glamoureinansa translative glamourikseen glamouriksensa glamoureikseen glamoureiksensa abessive glamourittaan glamourittansa glamoureittaan glamoureittansa instructive — — comitative — glamoureineen glamoureinensa

Further reading

• “glamour”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

French

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

glamour m (uncountable)

1. glamour

Adjective

glamour (invariable)

1. glamorous

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From English glamour.

Noun

glamour m (definite singular glamouren)

1. glamour

Related terms

• glamorøs

References

• “glamour” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From English glamour.

Noun

glamour m (definite singular glamouren)

1. glamour

Related terms

• glamorøs

References

• “glamour” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English glamour.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ɡlaˈmuʁ/ [ɡlaˈmuh]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ɡlaˈmuʁ/ [ɡlaˈmuh]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ɡlaˈmuɾ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ɡlaˈmuʁ/ [ɡlaˈmuχ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ɡlaˈmuɻ/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɡlɐˈmuɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɡlɐˈmuɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɡlɐˈmu.ɾi/

Noun

glamour m (uncountable)

1. glamour

   Synonyms: charme, encanto

Spanish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English glamour.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡlaˈmuɾ/ [ɡlaˈmuɾ]
• Rhymes: -uɾ

Noun

glamour m (uncountable)

1. Alternative spelling of glamur

Usage notes

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

Further reading

• “glamour”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Swedish

Noun

glamour c (definite singular glamouren) (uncountable)

1. glamour