different between tinsel vs scintilla
tinsel
English
Etymology
From Middle French estincelle (“spark”) (compare French étincelle), from Latin scintilla; compare scintillate, stencil.
Pronunciation
- (UK, US) IPA(key): /?t?n.s?l/
- Rhymes: -?ns?l
Noun
tinsel (usually uncountable, plural tinsels)
- A shining material used for ornamental purposes; especially, a very thin, gauzelike cloth with much gold or silver woven into it; also, very thin metal overlaid with a thin coating of gold or silver, brass foil, or the like.
- 1675, John Dryden, Aureng-zebe
- Who can discern the tinsel from the gold?
- 1675, John Dryden, Aureng-zebe
- Very thin strips of a glittering, metallic material used as a decoration, and traditionally draped at Christmas time over streamers, paper chains and the branches of Christmas trees.
- Anything shining and gaudy; something superficially shining and showy, or having a false luster, and more pretty than valuable.
- 1782, William Cowper, Truth
- O happy peasant! O unhappy bard! His the mere tinsel, hers the rich reward.
- 1782, William Cowper, Truth
Translations
Adjective
tinsel (not comparable)
- Glittering, later especially superficially so; gaudy, showy.
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.1:
- Her garments all were wrought of beaten gold, / And all her steed with tinsell trappings shone […]
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.1:
Verb
tinsel (third-person singular simple present tinsels, present participle (UK) tinselling or (US) tinseling, simple past and past participle (UK) tinselled or (US) tinseled)
- (transitive) To adorn with tinsel; to deck out with cheap but showy ornaments; to make gaudy.
- She, tinseled o'er in robes of varying hues
- (figuratively, transitive) To give a false sparkle to (something).
Derived terms
- tinseled, tinselled
- tinselly
- Tinseltown
See also
- trimmings
- trim up
References
- tinsel in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
Anagrams
- ELINTs, SILENT, Teslin, enlist, inlets, leints, listen, silent
tinsel From the web:
- what's tinsel made of
- tinsel meaning
- what's tinsel in irish
- what tinsel means in english
- tinseltown what's playing
- tinseltown what movies are playing
- tinseltown what's showing
- tinseltown what is xd
scintilla
English
Etymology
Existing in English since the 17th century; borrowed from Latin scintilla (“spark”).
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /s?n?t?l?/
- Rhymes: -?l?
Noun
scintilla (plural scintillae or scintillas)
- A small spark or flash.
- 1890, Philosophical Magazine, page 364,
- If the action of the electrodynamic waves is so violent that, even without artificial electrification of the secondary conductor, scintillæ occur in its spark-gap, the aluminium leaves remain almost without change.
- 1890, Philosophical Magazine, page 364,
- (figuratively) A small or trace amount.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:modicum
- 1876 February, John Tyndall, The Controversy on Acoustical Research, Popular Science Monthly,
- And, if I except the sagacious remark of General Duane which has been so curtly brushed aside, not a scintilla of light has been cast upon these causes by any researches ever published by the Lighthouse Board of Washington.
- 1878 April, John Tyndall, Illustrations of the Logic of Science IV, Popular Science Monthly,
- Now, it may be we have no scintilla of proof to the contrary, but reason is unnecessary in reference to that belief which is of all the most settled, which nobody doubts or can doubt, and which he who should deny would stultify himself in so doing.
- 1990, William J. Brennan, Jr., Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health: Dissent Brennan, United States Supreme Court,
- Current medical practice recommends use of heroic measures if there is a scintilla of a chance that the patient will recover, on the assumption that the measures will be discontinued should the patient improve.
Related terms
- scintilla juris
- scintillate
- scintillation
- scintillator
- shine
- stencil
- tinsel
Translations
Further reading
- “scintilla”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.
- Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “scintilla”, in Online Etymology Dictionary
References
Anagrams
- Scillitan
French
Verb
scintilla
- third-person singular past historic of scintiller
Italian
Etymology
From Latin scintilla.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /?in?til.la/
Noun
scintilla f (plural scintille)
- spark
Verb
scintilla
- third-person singular present of scintillare
- second-person singular imperative of scintillare
Further reading
- scintilla in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
Latin
Etymology
Most likely from Proto-Indo-European *ski-nto-, from *skey-, *ski- (“to gleam, shine”), which is the source of English shine.
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /skin?til.la/, [s?k?n??t??l??ä]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /?in?til.la/, [?in??t?il??]
Noun
scintilla f (genitive scintillae); first declension
- spark
- Quintus Curtius Rufus, Historiarum Alexandri Magni Macedonis Libri Qui Supersunt; Book VI, Chapter III
- Parva saepe scintilla contempta magnum excitavit incendium.
- A small spark neglected has often roused to a great inferno.
- Parva saepe scintilla contempta magnum excitavit incendium.
- Quintus Curtius Rufus, Historiarum Alexandri Magni Macedonis Libri Qui Supersunt; Book VI, Chapter III
- glimmer
Declension
First-declension noun.
Derived terms
- scintill?
Descendants
- ? Vulgar Latin: *scintilia
- ? Albanian: shkëndijë
- Aromanian: scãntealji
- Romanian: scânteie
- ? Vulgar Latin: *stincilla
- Old French: estancele
- Middle French: estincelle
- ? English: tinsel
- French: étincelle
- Middle French: estincelle
- Old French: estancele
- ? English: scintilla
- ? Italian: scintilla
- Old Leonese:
- Asturian: centella
- Old Occitan:
- Catalan: centella
- Old Portuguese: centella
- Portuguese: centelha
- Old Spanish:
- Spanish: centella
- Sardinian: schinchidha, scincidha
- Venetian: s-ciantixo, sciantizha, sinti?a
References
- scintilla in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- scintilla in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- scintilla in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
scintilla From the web:
- what scintillating means
- what scintillation detector
- what's scintillating scotoma
- scintilla meaning
- what's scintillation counting
- what's scintillating in german
- what scintillare means
- scintillant what language
you may also like
- tinsel vs scintilla
- stencil vs scintilla
- scintillator vs scintilla
- scintillation vs scintilla
- scintillate vs scintilla
- refractory vs refraction
- refractive vs refraction
- dispersivity vs dispersion
- dissipation vs dissipate
- promise vs compromise
- erectile vs erect
- pocketwatch vs wristwatch
- archibald vs archie
- katharevousa vs koine
- unchain vs unchained
- rusticator vs rusticate
- rustication vs rusticate
- ululation vs ululate
- ululant vs ululate
- uxoricide vs uxorious