I. ˈfli-kər verb
( flick·ered ; flick·er·ing -k(ə-)riŋ)
Etymology: Middle English flikeren, from Old English flicorian
Date: before 12th century
intransitive verb
1. : to move irregularly or unsteadily : flutter
2. : to burn or shine fitfully or with a fluctuating light
a candle flicker ing in the window
3. : to appear briefly
transitive verb
1. : to cause to flicker
2. : to produce by flickering
• flick·er·ing·ly -k(ə-)riŋ-lē adverb
II. noun
Date: 1822
1.
a. : an act of flickering
b. : a sudden brief movement
c. : a momentary quickening
a flicker of anger
d. : a slight indication : hint
a flicker of recognition
2.
a. : a wavering light
b. : a repeated momentary defect in a cathode-ray tube image caused especially by slow scanning of the screen
3. : movie — often used in plural
• flick·ery ˈfli-k(ə-)rē adjective
III. noun
Etymology: probably imitative of its call
Date: 1809
: a large barred and spotted North American woodpecker ( Colaptes auratus ) with a brown back that commonly forages on the ground for ants — compare red-shafted flicker , yellow-shafted flicker