Loom, v. i. [imp. & p. p.Loomed (?); p. pr. & vb. n.Looming.] [OE. lumen to shine, Icel. ljoma; akin to AS. leóma light, and E. light; or cf. OF. lumer to shine, L. luminare to illumine, lumen light; akin to E. light. √122. See Light not dark.] 1. To appear above the surface either of sea or land, or to appear enlarged, or distorted and indistinct, as a distant object, a ship at sea, or a mountain, esp. from atmospheric influences; as, the ship looms large; the land looms high.
Awful she looms, the terror of the main. H. J. Pye.
2. To rise and to be eminent; to be elevated or ennobled, in a moral sense.
On no occasion does he loom so high, and shine so gloriously, as in the context. J. M. Mason.