noun
Meaning 1
A small spark or flash.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
scintilla
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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UK, US: /sɪnˈtɪlə/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ɪlə
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CMU ARPABET: S IH0 N T IH1 L AH0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
A small or trace amount.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively
Examples
- a scintilla of hope
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: ace, atom, thought, atomy, aught, bissel, bit, crumb, glimpse, dab, damn, dash, diddly, glint, dot, spatter, drop, dusting, fleck, glimmer, hint, flip, flyspeck, grain, halfpennyworth, inch, iota, jot, lick, mite, modicum, molecule, morceau, morsel, mote, ooch, ounce, particle, pennyworth, piece, pinch, relish, scantling, semblance, scent, scintilla, scooch, scrap, scruple, shred, skerrick, skoosh, skosh, sliver, smattering, smidge, smidgen, smidget, smidgy, smitch, smithereen, soupçon, spark, speck, speckle, spot, sprinkle, sprinkling, strain, tad, tidbit, tidge, tinge, tittle, toddick, touch, trace, trifle, tuppence worth, vestige, whiff, whit
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
a sparkling glittering particle
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: particle, subatomic particle
noun
Meaning 4
a tiny or scarcely detectable amount
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: shred, whit, iota, tittle, smidgen, smidgeon, smidgin, smidge
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: small indefinite quantity, small indefinite amount
History
Etymology
Existing in English since the 17th century; borrowed from Latin scintilla (“spark”).
Across languages
Translations
20 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: искра (iskra) — small spark or flash
- Dutch: vonkje — small spark or flash
- French: étincelle — small spark or flash
- French: bluette — small spark or flash
- German: Fünkchen — small spark or flash
- Hindi: चकमक (cakmak) — small spark or flash
- Hindi: आँच (ā̃c) — small spark or flash
- Ido: cintilo — small spark or flash
- Ido: cintileto — small spark or flash
- Bulgarian: зрънце (zrǎnce) — small amount
- Dutch: sprankje — small amount
- Dutch: greintje — small amount
- Finnish: hitunen — small amount
- French: lueur — small amount
- French: brin — small amount
- French: once — small amount
- German: Spur — small amount
- German: Quäntchen — small amount
- Russian: крупи́ца (krupíca) — small amount
- Russian: ма́лая то́лика (málaja tólika) — small amount