Scintillate

//ˈsɪn.tɪˌleɪt// verb

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To give off sparks; to shine as if emanating sparks; to twinkle or glow. intransitive

    "Much interest appears to have been lately excited in England by Dr. Clarke's Experiments on the Blow-pipe, and the dangers of explosion attempted to be guarded against, by various contrivances. The following letter inserted in the Philosophical Magazine for December 1816, will show the importance attached to this interesting application of the gases in promoting fusion. […] 1. Platinum as thick as a stocking wire was instantly fused, scintillated, and fell into a large globule. 2. Palladium fused instantly and slightly scintillated."

  2. 2
    be lively or brilliant or exhibit virtuosity wordnet
  3. 3
    Of a star or other celestial body: to vary rapidly in brightness; to twinkle.

    "Do the stars scintillate at all altitudes? Is there any altitude at which it ceases to manifest itself? At Morges the stars in general scintillate at all altitudes, although feebly near the zenith; but on the nights when the scintillation is very faint, it ceases completely at a zenith distance of 45°."

  4. 4
    fluoresce momentarily when struck by a charged particle or high-energy photon wordnet
  5. 5
    Especially of a phosphor: to emit a flash of light upon absorbing ionizing radiation.
Show 5 more definitions
  1. 6
    emit or reflect light in a flickering manner wordnet
  2. 7
    To dazzle or to impress. intransitive
  3. 8
    reflect brightly wordnet
  4. 9
    To throw off like sparks. archaic, transitive

    "As a boy young Arabin took up the cudgels on the side of the Tractarians, and at Oxford he sat for a while at the feet of the great [John Henry] Newman. To this cause he lent all his faculties. For it he concocted verses, for it he made speeches, for it he scintillated the brightest sparks of his quiet wit."

  5. 10
    give off wordnet

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin scintillātus, past participle of scintillāre (“to sparkle, glitter, gleam, flash”), from scintilla (“a spark”).

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