scintilla
noun
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Scintilla comes directly from Latin, where it carries the meaning of "spark" - that is, a bright flash such as you might see from a burning ember. In English, however, our use of "scintilla" is restricted to the figurative sense of "spark" - a hint or trace of something that barely suggests its presence. The Latin scintilla is related to the verb "scintillare," which means "to sparkle" and is responsible for our verb "scintillate" ("to sparkle or gleam," literally or figuratively). In an odd twist, "scintilla" underwent a transposition of the "c" and the "t" (a linguistic phenomenon known as metathesis) to create the Vulgar Latin form stincilla, which is believed to be an ancestor of our word stencil.
Synonyms
Examples of scintilla in a Sentence
David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2024
Just a scintilla of resignation that no-Butler makes a Celtics series look grim.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2024
Under the old law, the guardian of the person could handle only small amounts of the ward’s funds, which meant that if the ward had more than a scintilla of money, then the court had to appoint a guardian of the estate.
—Virginia Hammerle, Dallas News, 13 Aug. 2023
There is not a scintilla of evidence supporting the scandalous allegations that the Church harassed the accusers.
—Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 31 May 2023
See all Example Sentences for scintilla 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scintilla.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Scintilla.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scintilla. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
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scintilla
noun
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