spark
/ˈspɑɹk/ noun B2- A small particle of glowing matter, either molten or on fire, resulting from an electrical surge or excessive heat created by friction.
- A short or small burst of electrical discharge.
- A small, shining body, or transient light; a sparkle.
- A small amount of something, such as an idea or romantic affection, that has the potential to become something greater, just as a spark can start a fire. · , Book IV, Chapter XVII But though we have, here and there, a little of this clear light, some sparks of bright knowledge
- Any of various lycaenid butterflies of the Indomalayan genus Sinthusa.
- A ship's radio operator.
- A small collection of cells which briefly appears at the edge of a larger pattern before dying off.
Plural sparks
Phrasal verbs and expressions
From the library
“Let all be forgotten as a sorrowful dream,” said Beauchamp; “let it vanish as the last sparks from the blackened paper, and disappear as the smoke from those silent ashes.”
I rubbed one of them on my sleeve, however, and it glowed afterwards like a spark in the dark hollow of my hand.
Sight and hearing were the only senses remaining, and they, like two solitary sparks, remained to animate the miserable body which seemed fit for nothing but the grave; it was only, however, by means of one of these senses that he could reveal the thoughts and feelings that still occupied his mind, and the look by which he gave expression to his inner life was like the distant gleam of a candle which a traveller sees by night across some desert place, and knows that a living being dwells beyond the silence and obscurity.
But the Scarecrow did not mind how long it took him to fill the basket, for it enabled him to keep away from the fire, as he feared a spark might get into his straw and burn him up.
Other matches
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