To emit flashes of light; to sparkle brilliantly. Also used metaphorically to describe wit, conversation, or performance that dazzles with brilliance.
From Latin scintilla, meaning 'spark.' Ancient Romans watched sparks fly from their forges and gave them this musical name. The word traveled through centuries, gaining the ability to describe not just physical sparkling, but the spark of brilliant minds — scintillating conversation became the hallmark of wit.
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