Scintilla

Word of the Day for Monday April 25, 2005

scintilla \sin-TIL-uh\, noun:
A tiny or scarcely detectable amount; the slightest particle;
a trace; a spark.

In victory, they must hold on to at least a scintilla of
humility, lest they get too cocky -- and ripe for a
takedown.
--Bill Breen, "'We are literally trying to stop time,'"
[1]Fast Company, May 2000

"I bear her not one scintilla of ill will," he said.
--Sarah Lyall, "That Harriman Book," [2]New York Times, May
4, 1994

There was never a scintilla of doubt, or a hint of
equivocation, in Michael about his commitment to the party.
--"Ferris's decency and sense of fun recalled," [3]Irish
Times, March 23, 2000
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Scintilla is from Latin scintilla, "a spark, a glimmer, a
faint trace." Also from scintilla is the verb scintillate, "to
sparkle."
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A scintilla of light filters through the buildings


A tiny sparkle of light on the street as it got dark in midtown


a small amount of diet dr. pepper, the essence of it


a scintilla of cookie crumbs