spark

• (General American) enPR: spärk, IPA^(key): /spɑɹk/
• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: späk, IPA^(key): /spɑːk/

• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)k
• Homophone: SPARC

From Middle English sparke, sperke, from Old English spearca, from Proto-Germanic *sprakô (compare Dutch spark and sprank, Middle Low German sparke), 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”)).

spark (plural sparks)

1. A small particle of glowing matter, either molten or on fire.
2. A short or small burst of electrical discharge.
3. A small, shining body, or transient light; a sparkle.
4. (figuratively) 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.
   • c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act V, scene vi]:

     if any spark of life be yet remaining

   • 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], OCLC 153628242:

     , Book IV, Chapter XVII

     But though we have, here and there, a little of this clear light, some sparks of bright knowledge

   • 2013, Phil McNulty, "", BBC Sport, 1 September 2013:

     Everton's Marouane Fellaini looks one certain arrival but Moyes, who also saw United held to a draw by Chelsea at Old Trafford on Monday, needs even more of a spark in a midfield that looked laboured by this team's standards.

5. Any of various lycaenid butterflies of the Indomalayan genus Sinthusa.
6. (in plural sparks but treated as a singular) A ship's radio operator.
7. (UK, slang) An electrician.
   • 1999, Des Lyver, ‎Graham Swainson, Basics of Video Lighting (page 103)

     At the other extreme, with limitless budgets all they have to do is dream up amazing lighting rigs to be constructed and operated by the huge team of gaffers and sparks, with their generators, discharge lights, flags, gobos and brutes.

• (small particle of glowing matter): ember, gnast, funk
• (small amount of something, such as an idea, that has the potential to become something greater): beginnings, germ, glimmer

• → Esperanto: sparko

spark (third-person singular simple present sparks, present participle sparking, simple past and past participle sparked)

1. (transitive, figurative) To trigger, kindle into activity (an argument, etc).
   • 2012 May 5, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport‎:

     The introduction of substitute Andy Carroll sparked Liverpool into life and he pulled a goal back just after the hour - and thought he had equalised as Kenny Dalglish's side laid siege to Chelsea's goal in the closing stages.

2. (transitive) To light; to kindle.
   • 2009, Alex Jenson, The Serotonin Grand Prix (page 12)

     Byron sparked the cigarette. He sucked it dramatically and thrust it into Marko's hand.

3. (transitive, of a gun) To shoot; to fire
   • 1998 November 10, “Grid Iron Rap”, in Tical 2000: Judgement Day‎, performed by Method Man,Streetlife (rapper):

     [Streetlife]:Fuck a peace talk, let the gun spark, on the streets of New York.

   • 2004, “U Ain't A Killer”, in The War Mixtape‎, performed by Akala (rapper):

     All of a sudden, everybody tuggin', everybody dark. Everybody gums runnin', 'til the guns spark.

   • 2022 February 22, “Raw Hip Hop”, in IMAMCRU12‎, performed by KRS-One:

     Guns spark in the dark, it was all just a part of the eighties Bronx scene that created all.

4. (intransitive) To give off a spark or sparks.

• spark off
• sparkle

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

spark (plural sparks)

1. A gallant; a foppish young man.
   • 1718, Mat[thew] Prior, “Alma: Or, The Progress of the Mind”, in Poems on Several Occasions, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], and John Barber […], OCLC 5634253:

     The finest sparks and cleanest beaux.

   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], OCLC 928184292:

     Jones had no sooner quitted the room, than the petty-fogger, in a whispering tone, asked Mrs Whitefield, “If she knew who that fine spark was?”

   • 1777, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The School for Scandal, I.ii:

     He will retrieve his errors yet—their worthy Father, once my honour'd master, was at his years nearly as wild a spark.

2. A beau, lover.

spark (third-person singular simple present sparks, present participle sparking, simple past and past participle sparked)

1. (intransitive, archaic) To woo, court; to act the gallant or beau.

• make love, romance, solicit; see also Thesaurus:woo

• sparkish
• sparker

• Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967

• K-spar, Karps, Parks, Praks, parks

From Old Norse spark, verbal noun to sparka (“to kick”).

• IPA^(key): /spark/, [sb̥ɑːɡ̊]

spark n (singular definite sparket, plural indefinite spark)

1. kick

spark

1. imperative of sparke

• IPA^(key): /spaɹ̥k/

spark n (genitive singular sparks, plural spørk)

1. kick

From sparka (“to kick”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈspar̥k/
• Rhymes: -ar̥k

spark n (genitive singular sparks, nominative plural spörk)

1. kick

spark

1. Alternative form of sparke

spark n (definite singular sparket, indefinite plural spark, definite plural sparka or sparkene)

1. a kick (with a foot)
2. Short for sparkstøtting (“kicksled”).

• brassespark
• frispark
• hjørnespark
• straffespark

• sparke

spark

1. imperative of sparke

spark n (definite singular sparket, indefinite plural spark, definite plural sparka)

1. a kick (with a foot)
2. Short for sparkstøtting (“kicksled”).

• brassespark
• frispark
• hjørnespark
• straffespark

From Old Norse spark, from sparka (“to kick”).

spark c

1. kick
2. Short for sparkstötting (“kicksled”).
3. (in "få sparken") (to be given) the boot (get fired from work)

• karps, parks, skarp