English
Alternative forms
Noun
spark plug (plural spark plugs )
The part of an internal combustion engine which forms a high-voltage electric spark which ignites the fuel-air mixture to begin the power stroke.
1919 January, Practical hints on running a gas engine , United States Department of Agriculture:With all engines using spark plugs it is comparatively easy to ascertain whether the ignition system is working properly.
( figuratively ) Someone who is a driving force in new endeavours .
Synonyms: straw that stirs the drink , catalyst , instigator , mover and shaker , stimulus
2003 , Growing for Market: News and Ideas for Market Gardeners :Steve Pincus, a Madison-area farmer who sells produce to L'Etoile, says admiringly of Odessa: "She's a spark plug . She's out there speaking out about sustainable agriculture and local food."
Translations
part of an internal combustion engine
Afrikaans: vonkprop (af)
Armenian: վառոցքի մոմ ( vaṙocʻkʻi mom )
Azerbaijani: alışdırma şamları
Basque: buxia
Bulgarian: запалителна свещ f ( zapalitelna svešt )
Burmese: စပါ့ခ် ပလပ်ဂ် ( ca.pahk. pa.lapg )
Catalan: bugia d'encesa f , bugia f
Chinese:
Mandarin: 火花塞 (zh) ( huǒhuāsāi ) , 火花塞 (zh) ( huǒhuāsāi )
Czech: svíčka (cs) f
Danish: tændrør n
Dutch: bougie (nl) c
Esperanto: sparkilo
Estonian: süüteküünal
Finnish: sytytystulppa (fi)
French: bougie d’allumage (fr) f , bougie (fr) f
Galician: buxía f
Georgian: please add this translation if you can
German: Zündkerze (de) f
Greek: μπουζί (el) n ( bouzí ) , αναφλεκτήρας (el) m ( anaflektíras ) , σπινθηριστής (el) ( spinthiristís )
Haitian Creole: bouji
Hindi: स्पार्क प्लग ( spārk plag )
Hungarian: gyújtógyertyá
Icelandic: kveikikerti n , kerti (is) n
Indonesian: busi (id)
Irish: spréachphlocóid f
Italian: candela di accensione f
Japanese: 点火プラグ ( denka puragu ) , スパークプラグ ( supāku puragu )
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Javanese: busi
Khmer: please add this translation if you can
Malay: palam pencucuh
Mirandese: bela f
Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
Norwegian:
Bokmål: tennplugg m
Nynorsk: tennplugg m
Persian: شمع (fa) ( šam' )
Polish: świeca zapłonowa (pl) f
Portuguese: vela de ignição (pt) f
Romanian: bujie (ro) f
Russian: свеча́ зажига́ния (ru) f ( svečá zažigánija )
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: свѐћица f
Roman: svjèćica (sh) f
Slovak: zapaľovacia sviečka f
Slovene: vžigalna svečka (sl) f
Spanish: bujía (es) f
Swedish: tändstift (sv) n
Tagalog: buhiya , pasak-panduop
Thai: หัวเทียน (th) ( hǔua-tiian )
Turkish: buji (tr)
Ukrainian: запа́лювальна сві́чка f ( zapáljuvalʹna svíčka ) , сві́чка запа́лювання ( svíčka zapáljuvannja ) , сві́чка (uk) f ( svíčka ) ( informal )
Vietnamese: bugi , bougie (vi)
Volapük: bujid , filidakandel
Welsh: plwg tanio m
Yup'ik: espaak