spark 1
(spärk)n.1. An incandescent particle, especially:
a. One thrown off from a burning substance.
b. One resulting from friction.
c. One remaining in an otherwise extinguished fire; an ember.
2. A glistening particle, as of metal.
3. a. A flash of light, especially a flash produced by electric discharge.
b. A short pulse or flow of electric current.
4. A trace or suggestion, as:
a. A quality or feeling with latent potential; a seed or germ: the spark of genius.
b. A vital, animating, or activating factor: the spark of revolution.
5. sparks(used with a sing. verb) Informal A radio operator aboard a ship.
6. Electricity a. The luminous phenomenon resulting from a disruptive discharge through an insulating material.
b. The discharge itself.
v. sparked, spark·ing, sparks
v.intr.1. To give off sparks.
2. To operate correctly. Used of the ignition system of an internal-combustion engine.
v.tr.1. To set in motion; activate: The incident sparked a controversy.
2. To rouse to action; spur: A cheering crowd sparked the runner to triumph.
[Middle English sparke, from Old English spearca. V., from Middle English sparken, from Old English spearcian.]
spark′er n.
spark 2
(spärk) Archaic n.1. An elegantly dressed, highly self-conscious young man.
2. A male suitor; a beau.
v. sparked, spark·ing, sparks
v.intr. To court a woman or women.
[
Perhaps of Scandinavian origin or from
spark.]
spark′er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
sparker
(ˈspɑːkə) n1. a thing that stops or prevents sparks
2. a small firework
3. (Geological Science) geology an exploratory sonar for sea-bed formations
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014