flick·er¹ / ˈflikər/ • v. [intr.] 1. (of light or a source of light) shine unsteadily; vary rapidly in brightness: the interior lights flickered and came on. ∎  (of a flame) burn fitfully, alternately flaring up and dying down: the candle flickered again | [as adj.] (flickering) the flickering flames of the fire. ∎  fig. (of a feeling or emotion) be experienced or show itself briefly and faintly, esp. in someone's eyes: amusement flickered briefly in his eyes.2. make small, quick movements; flutter rapidly: her eyelids flickered | the injured killer's eyes flickered open. ∎  (of someone's eyes) move quickly in a particular direction in order to look at something: her alert hazel eyes flickered around the room. ∎  (of a facial expression) appear briefly: a look of horror flickered across his face.• n. 1. an unsteady movement of a flame or light that causes rapid variations in brightness: the flicker of a candle flame caught our eyes. ∎  fluctuations in the brightness of a movie or television image such as occur when the number of frames per second is too small or the refresh rate too low for persistence of vision.2. a tiny movement: then a flicker of movement caught his eye. ∎  a faint indication of a facial expression: a flicker of a smile passed across her face. ∎ fig. a very brief and faint experience of an emotion or feeling: she felt a small flicker of alarm.PHRASAL VERBS: flicker out (of a flame or light) die away and go out after a series of flickers. ∎ fig. (of a feeling) die away and finally disappear: the swift burst of curiosity and eagerness flickered out.flick·er² • n. an American woodpecker (genus Colaptes) that often feeds on ants on the ground, esp. the common flicker (C. auratus), occurring in two forms that are distingished by the underside of the tail and wings, which may be yellow (yellow-shafted flicker) or salmon red (red-shafted flicker).

flicker A perceived rapid periodic change of a displayed image. This is mainly a problem with cathode-ray tube displays. Flicker is perceived by users when the refresh frequency is below the CFF. It is claimed to induce headaches and eyestrain with prolonged usage. See also interlacing.

flicker †flutter, hover OE.; †fondle, dally XIII; flutter, vibrate XV; burn fitfully, flash up and die away XVII. OE. flicorian, flicerian (cf. LG. flickern, Du. flikkeren), synon, in its earliest use with ME. flakere, prob. repr. an OE. *flacorian, f. flacor (of arrows) flying, f. imit. base *flak-, repr. also in MHG. vlackern flicker (G. flackern), ON. flǫkra flutter.
Hence sb. XIX.