Adjacent Words

Scintillation definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SCINTILLA'TION, n. the act of emitting sparks or igneous particles; the act of sparkling.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: (physics) a flash of light that is produced in a phosphor when it absorbs a photon or ionizing particle
2: a rapid change in brightness; a brief spark or flash [syn: twinkle, scintillation, sparkling]
3: a brilliant display of wit
4: the quality of shining with a bright reflected light [syn: glitter, glister, glisten, scintillation, sparkle]
5: the twinkling of the stars caused when changes in the density of the earth's atmosphere produce uneven refraction of starlight

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: circa 1623 1. an act or instance of scintillating; especially rapid changes in the brightness of a celestial body 2. a. a spark or flash emitted in scintillating b. a flash of light produced in a phosphor by an ionizing event 3. a brilliant outburst (as of wit) 4. a flash of the eye

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 the process or state of scintillating. 2 the twinkling of a star. 3 a flash produced in a material by an ionizing particle etc. Phrases and idioms: scintillation counter a device for detecting and recording scintillation.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Scintillation Scin`til*la"tion, n. [L. scintillatio: cf. F. scintillation.] 1. The act of scintillating. 2. A spark or flash emitted in scintillating. These scintillations are . . . the inflammable effluences discharged from the bodies collided. --Sir T. Browne.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Sparkling, flashing, coruscation, intellectual splendor. 2. Twinkling, sparkling.

Moby Thesaurus

aphorism, apothegm, black spot, blink, blinking, bloom, blooping, bon mot, boutade, bright idea, bright thought, brilliant idea, conceit, coruscation, crack, definition, epigram, facetiae, firefly, flare, flash of wit, flight of wit, fringe area, ghost, gibe, glance, glimmer, glimmering, glint, glisten, glister, glitter, glittering, glowworm, granulation, grid, happy thought, hard shadow, image, mot, multiple image, nasty crack, noise, persiflage, picture, picture noise, picture shifts, play of wit, pleasantry, quip, quips and cranks, rain, repartee, retort, riposte, rolling, sally, scanning pattern, scintilla, shading, shimmer, shimmering, smart crack, smart saying, snappy comeback, snow, snowstorm, spangle, spark, sparkle, stroboscopic light, stroke of wit, tinsel, turn of thought, twinkle, twinkling, wisecrack, witticism