In a flickering state; trembling or flashing with unsteady light.
From 'a-' (in the state of) + 'flicker,' where 'flicker' comes from Middle Dutch 'flikeren,' an imitative word mimicking the quick movements of light.
Imitative words like 'flicker' are some of the oldest in any language because they sound like what they describe—and the 'a-' prefix turning it into a state ('aflicker') shows how creative old English was with prefixes.
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