spark

English

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• enPR: spärk, IPA: /spɑː(r)k/, X-SAMPA: /spA:(r)k/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑː(r)k
• Homophone: SPARC

Etymology 1

Middle English sparke, sperke, from Old English spearca, from Proto-Germanic *sparkōn (cf. Dutch sprank, Middle Low German sparke), from Proto-Indo-European *sp(h)er(e)g- 'to strew, sprinkle' (compare Breton erc'h ‘snow’, Latin spargere ‘to scatter, spread’, sparsus ‘scattered’, Lithuanian sprógti ‘to germinate’, Ancient Greek spargân ‘to swell’, Avestan frasparega ‘branch, twig’, Sanskrit Parjanva ‘rain, rain god’).

Noun

spark (plural sparks)

1. A small particle of glowing matter, either molten or on fire.
2. A short or small burst of electrical discharge.
3. (figuratively) A small amount of something, such as an idea, that has the potential to become something greater, just as a spark can start a fire.
4. (in plural sparks but treated as a singular) A ship's radio operator.
5. (UK, slang) An electrician.

Synonyms

• (small amount of something, such as an idea, that has the potential to become something greater): beginnings, germ, glimmer

Derived terms

• sparkle
• bright spark
• spark arrester
• spark coil
• spark gap
• spark knock
• spark of life
• spark plug
• spark transmitter
• sparks fly

Translations

particle of glowing matter

• Afrikaans: vonk (af)
• Albanian: shkëndijë (sq) f
• Arabic: شرارة (ar) (šarāra) f
• Armenian: կայծ (hy) (kayç)

  Old Armenian: կայծ (kayc), կայծակն (kaycakn)

• Aromanian: scãntealje (rup) f
• Belarusian: іскра (be) (ískra) f
• Bulgarian: искра (bg) (iskrá) f
• Catalan: espurna (ca) f, guspira (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 火花 (cmn) (huǒhuā)

• Czech: jiskra (cs) f
• Danish: gnist (da) c
• Dutch: vonk (nl)
• Faroese: neisti (fo) m
• Finnish: kipinä (fi)
• French: étincelle (fr) f
• Georgian: ნაპერწკალი (ka) (naperckali)
• German: Funke (de) m
• Hungarian: szikra (hu)
• Icelandic: neisti (is) m
• Ido: cintilo (io)
• Italian: scintilla (it) f
• Japanese: 火花 (ja) (ひばな, hibana)
• Korean: 불꽃 (ko) (bulkkot)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: چه‌خماخه‌, پڕشنگ

• Latgalian: dzierksts, spierksts
• Latvian: dzirkstele (lv)
• Lithuanian: kibirkštis (lt)
• Luxembourgish: Fonk (lb)
• Macedonian: искра (mk) (ískra) f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: gnist m

  Nynorsk: gneiste m

• Occitan: beluga (oc) f, scintila (oc) f
• Persian: جرقه (fa) (jeraqqe)
• Polish: iskra (pl) f
• Portuguese: faísca (pt) f
• Romanian: scânteie (ro)
• Romansch: sbrinzel (rm) m
• Russian: искра (ru) (ískra, iskrá) f
• Sardinian: schinchidha (sc) f, scincidha (sc) f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: искра f, варница (sh) f, жижица (sh) f, жижа (sh) f

  Roman: iskra f, varnica f, žižica f, žiža f

• Slovak: iskra (sk) f
• Slovene: iskra (sl) f
• Spanish: chispa (es) f
• Swedish: gnista (sv) c
• Turkish: kıvılcım (tr)
• Ukrainian: іскра (uk) (ískra) f
• Welsh: gwreichionen (cy) f

burst of electrical discharge

• Armenian: կայծ (hy) (kayç)

  Old Armenian: կայծ (kayc), կայծակն (kaycakn)

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 火花 (cmn) (huǒhuā)

• Czech: jiskra (cs) f
• Danish: gnist (da) c
• Dutch: vonk (nl)
• Finnish: kipinä (fi)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: gnist m

  Nynorsk: gneiste m

• Russian: искра (ru) (ískra, iskrá) f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: искра f

  Roman: iskra f, varnica f

• Spanish: chispa (es) f
• Swedish: gnista (sv) c

figurative: small amount of something, which has the potential to become something greater

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 微量 (cmn) (wēiliàng)

• Danish: gnist (da) c

• Norwegian:
  • Bokmål: gnist m
  • Nynorsk: gneiste m

informal: ship's radio operator

• Armenian: ռադիստ (hy) (ṙadist)
• Norwegian: gnist (no) m

• Russian: (non-slang) электрик (ru) (elektrik), паяльник (ru) (pajalʹnik) (slang)

Verb

spark (third-person singular simple present sparks, present participle sparking, simple past and past participle sparked)

1. (transitive) To trigger, kindle into activity (an argument, etc).
   • 2012 May 5, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool”, BBC Sport:

     The introduction of substitute Andy Carroll sparked Liverpool into life and he pulled a goal back just after the hour - and thought he had equalised as Kenny Dalglish's side laid siege to Chelsea's goal in the closing stages.

2. (intransitive) To give off a spark or sparks.

Derived terms

• spark off
• sparkle

Etymology 2

probably Scandinavian, akin to Old Norse sparkr 'sprightly'

Noun

spark (plural sparks)

1. A gallant, a foppish young man.
   • Prior

     The finest sparks and cleanest beaux.

2. A beau, lover.

Verb

spark (third-person singular simple present sparks, present participle sparking, simple past and past participle sparked)

1. To woo, court.

Derived terms

• sparkish
• sparker

References

• Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967

Anagrams

• parks

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Danish

Etymology

From Old Norse spark, verbal noun to sparka (“to kick”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /spark/, [sb̥ɑːɡ̊]

Noun

spark n (singular definite sparket, plural indefinite spark)

1. kick

Inflection

    Inflection of spark

neuter gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative, dative and accusative	spark	sparket	spark	sparkene
genitive	sparks	sparkets	sparks	sparkenes

Verb

spark

1. imperative of sparke

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Faroese

Pronunciation

• IPA: /spaɹ̥k/

Noun

spark n (genitive singular sparks, plural spørk)

1. kick

Declension

n5	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	spark	sparkið	spørk	spørkini
Accusative	spark	sparkið	spørk	spørkini
Dative	sparki	sparkinum	spørkum	spørkunum
Genitive	sparks	sparksins	sparka	sparkanna

Derived terms

• sparka (to kick)
• brotsspark (penalty kick)
• fríspark (free kick)
• hornaspark (corner kick)
• málspark (goal kick)
• neyðspark (when forced to kick the ball off)

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Icelandic

Noun

spark n

1. a kick

Derived terms

• sparka

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Swedish

Noun

spark c

1. a kick

Derived terms

• sparka

Declension

Declension of spark

	singular		plural
Common	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	spark	sparken	sparkar	sparkarna
genitive	sparks	sparkens	sparkars	sparkarnas