Glide, n. 1. The act or manner of moving smoothly, swiftly, and without
labor or obstruction.
They prey at last ensnared, he dreadful darts, With rapid glide,
along the leaning line.
Thomson.
Seeing Orlando, it unlink'd itself, And with indented glides did
slip away.
Shak.
2. (Phon.) A transitional sound in speech which is produced by the
changing of the mouth organs from one definite position to another, and
with gradual change in the most frequent cases; as in passing from the
begining to the end of a regular diphthong, or from vowel to consonant
or consonant to vowel in a syllable, or from one component to the other
of a double or diphthongal consonant (see Guide to Pronunciation, ßß
19, 161, 162). Also (by Bell and others), the vanish (or brief final
element) or the brief initial element, in a class of diphthongal
vowels, or the brief final or initial part of some consonants (see
Guide to Pronunciation, ßß 18, 97, 191).
The on-glide of a vowel or consonant is the glidemade in passing to it,
the off-glide, one made in passing from it. Glides of the other sort
are distinguished as initial or final, or fore-glides and after-glides.
For voice-glide, see Guide to Pronunciation, ßß 17, 95.
Glid"en (?), obs. p. p. of Glide. Chaucer.
Glid"er (?), n. One who, or that which, glides.
Glid"ing*ly, adv. In a gliding manner.
Gliff (?), n. [Cf. OE. gliffen, gliften, to look with fear at.] 1. A
transient glance; an unexpected view of something that startles one; a
sudden fear. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.] Halliwell.