Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Specifically, in psychology, an unstable visual perception, occasioned by the intermittence or intensive fluctuation of stimuli.
  • noun The popular name of the golden-winged woodpecker, Colaptes auratus, a very common and handsome woodpecker of the United States, and of other species of the same genus, as the Mexican or red-shafted flicker, C. mexicanus, or the gilded flicker, C. chrysoides.
  • To flutter, as a bird; vibrate the wings rapidly.
  • To fluctuate or waver, as the light of a torch in the wind; undergo rapid and irregular changes.
  • To scintillate; sparkle.
  • To act lovingly; bestow caresses.
  • Synonyms Glimmer, Gleam, etc. See glare, intransitive verb
  • Wavering; unsteady.
  • noun The act of flickering or fluttering; a wavering or fluctuating gleam, as of a candle; a flutter.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To flutter; to flap the wings without flying.
  • intransitive verb To waver unsteadily, like a flame in a current of air, or when about to expire.
  • noun The act of wavering or of fluttering; fluctuation; sudden and brief increase of brightness.
  • noun (Zoöl.) The golden-winged woodpecker (Colaptes aurutus); -- so called from its spring note. Called also yellow-hammer, high-holder, pigeon woodpecker, and yucca.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun US A certain type of small woodpecker, especially of the genus Colaptes
  • noun An unsteady flash of light.
  • noun A short moment.
  • verb intransitive To burn or shine unsteadily. To burn or shine with a wavering light.
  • verb intransitive To keep going on and off; to appear and disappear for short moments; to flutter.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun North American woodpecker
  • verb flash intermittently
  • verb move back and forth very rapidly
  • noun the act of moving back and forth
  • noun a momentary flash of light
  • verb shine unsteadily

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

1808, American English, probably echoic of the bird's call, or from the white spotted plumage which appears to flicker.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English flikeren ("to flutter"), from Old English flicerian, flicorian ("to flutter"). Akin to Dutch flikkeren ("to flutter").

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Examples

  • As the sun set that evening, I sat back into the arms of the substantial, saturated air, and watched the fireflies flicker from the comforts of a lawn chair.

    Chasing Fireflies Candid Engineer 2008

  • As the sun set that evening, I sat back into the arms of the substantial, saturated air, and watched the fireflies flicker from the comforts of a lawn chair.

    Archive 2008-07-01 Candid Engineer 2008

  • That 60hz flicker is killer on my parafoveal vision.

    WALMART GOES FLUORESCENT | Inhabitat 2007

  • Albiet, I have seen flicker from the early stages and at one time it was a darling .. but not any more.

    Reminiscing about Nintendo and Sega | FactoryCity 2006

  • She could feel his eyes stroking over her, and when she caught a glimpse of them, it was to see his expression flicker with a subtle sensuality.

    Wicked Pleasures Leigh, Lora 2008

  • The concern here is specifically something known as flicker rate.

    CNN Transcript Jan 4, 2008 2008

  • Again, no scientific evidence to suggest that for sure but the specific concern is what is known as a flicker rate.

    CNN Transcript Jan 4, 2008 2008

  • The flicker was the first sign of a change or disturbance in the Spin membrane — first, that is, unless you count the event that followed the Chinese missile attack on the polar artifacts, back in the earliest years of the Spin.

    Spin 2005

  • Something called the flicker phenomena where sunlight flashing very brilliantly on water or on leaves or grass or glass all of which is our back yard can cause an electrical discharge in the brain which can be sufficient to trigger a seizure.

    Judgement Day: My Years with Ayn Rand 1989

  • Cochrane saw Jones 'expression flicker sarcastically just once during

    Operation: Outer Space Murray Leinster 1935

Comments

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  • Or, even better, flickr.

    May 7, 2007

  • The key to victory on the internet battleground will be vowels. Web 2.0 is pretty to look at but needs to beef up its armament. Nobody ever won a war with consonants.

    May 7, 2007