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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

spark.

A small particle of glowing matter, either molten or on fire, resulting from an electrical surge or excessive heat created by friction.

5 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈspɑːk/Received-Pronunciation[ˈspɑːk]Received-Pronunciation/ˈspɑɹk/General-American[ˈspɑɹk]General-American
  1. A small particle of glowing matter, either molten or on fire, resulting from an electrical surge or excessive heat created by friction.

  2. A short or small burst of electrical discharge.

  3. A small, shining body, or transient light; a sparkle.

  4. 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.

    figuratively
  5. Any of various lycaenid butterflies of the Indomalayan genus Sinthusa.

  6. A ship's radio operator.

  7. An electrician.

    UK · slang
  8. A small collection of cells which briefly appears at the edge of a larger pattern before dying off.

  9. A diamond, especially one set in a piece of jewellery.

    in-plural · obsolete
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-West Germanic *sparkō Old English spearca Middle English sparke English spark From Middle English sparke, sperke, from Old English spearca, from Proto-West Germanic *sparkō (compare Saterland Frisian Spoorke, West Frisian spark, Dutch spark, German Low German Sparke, German Sparke), perhaps from Proto-Germanic *sparkaz (“lively, energetic”), from Proto-Indo-European *sperg- (“to strew, sprinkle”) (compare Breton erc’h (“snow”), Latin spargō (“to scatter, spread”), sparsus (“scattered”), Lithuanian sprógti (“to germinate”), Ancient Greek σπαργάω (spargáō, “to swell”), Avestan 𐬟𐬭𐬀𐬯𐬞𐬀𐬭𐬈𐬔𐬀 (frasparega, “branch, twig”), Sanskrit पर्जन्य (parjanya, “rain, rain god”)).

verb/ˈspɑːk/Received-Pronunciation[ˈspɑːk]Received-Pronunciation/ˈspɑɹk/General-American[ˈspɑɹk]General-American
  1. To trigger, kindle into activity (an argument, etc).

    figuratively · transitive
  2. To light; to kindle.

    transitive
  3. To give off a spark or sparks.

    intransitive
  4. To shoot; to fire

    intransitive
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-West Germanic *sparkō Old English spearca Middle English sparke English spark From Middle English sparke, sperke, from Old English spearca, from Proto-West Germanic *sparkō (compare Saterland Frisian Spoorke, West Frisian spark, Dutch spark, German Low German Sparke, German Sparke), perhaps from Proto-Germanic *sparkaz (“lively, energetic”), from Proto-Indo-European *sperg- (“to strew, sprinkle”) (compare Breton erc’h (“snow”), Latin spargō (“to scatter, spread”), sparsus (“scattered”), Lithuanian sprógti (“to germinate”), Ancient Greek σπαργάω (spargáō, “to swell”), Avestan 𐬟𐬭𐬀𐬯𐬞𐬀𐬭𐬈𐬔𐬀 (frasparega, “branch, twig”), Sanskrit पर्जन्य (parjanya, “rain, rain god”)).

noun/ˈspɑːk/Received-Pronunciation[ˈspɑːk]Received-Pronunciation/ˈspɑɹk/General-American[ˈspɑɹk]General-American
  1. A gallant; a foppish young man.

  2. A beau, lover.

Where this word comes from

Probably Scandinavian, akin to Old Norse sparkr (“sprightly”).

verb/ˈspɑːk/Received-Pronunciation[ˈspɑːk]Received-Pronunciation/ˈspɑɹk/General-American[ˈspɑɹk]General-American
  1. To woo, court; to act the gallant or beau.

    archaic · intransitive
Where this word comes from

Probably Scandinavian, akin to Old Norse sparkr (“sprightly”).

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.