Sparkle noun [ Dim. of spark .]
1. A little spark; a scintillation.

As fire is wont to quicken and go
From a sparkle sprungen amiss,
Till a city brent up is.

Chaucer.

The shock was sufficiently strong to strike out some sparkles of his fiery temper.

Prescott.

2. Brilliancy; luster; as, the sparkle of a diamond.

Sparkle intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Sparkled ; present participle & verbal noun Sparkling .] [ See Sparkle , noun , Spark of fire.]
1. To emit sparks; to throw off ignited or incandescent particles; to shine as if throwing off sparks; to emit flashes of light; to scintillate; to twinkle; as, the blazing wood sparkles ; the stars sparkle .

A mantelet upon his shoulder hanging
Bretful of rubies red, as fire sparkling .

Chaucer.

2. To manifest itself by, or as if by, emitting sparks; to glisten; to flash.

I see bright honor sparkle through your eyes.

Milton.

3. To emit little bubbles, as certain kinds of liquors; to effervesce; as, sparkling wine.

Syn. -- To shine; glisten; scintillate; radiate; coruscate; glitter; twinkle.

Sparkle transitive verb To emit in the form or likeness of sparks. "Did sparkle forth great light." Spenser.

Sparkle transitive verb [ Confer Sparble .]
1. To disperse. [ Obsolete]

The Landgrave hath sparkled his army without any further enterprise.

State Papers.

2. To scatter on or over. [ Obsolete] Purchas.

Sparkler noun One who scatters; esp., one who scatters money; an improvident person. [ Obsolete]

Sparkler noun One who, or that which, sparkles.

Sparkler noun (Zoology) A tiger beetle.

Sparklet noun A small spark. [ Obsolete]

Sparkliness noun Vivacity. [ Obsolete] Aubrey.

Sparkling adjective Emitting sparks; glittering; flashing; brilliant; lively; as, sparkling wine; sparkling eyes. -- Spar"kling*ly , adverb -- Spar"kling*ness , noun

Syn. -- Brilliant; shining. See Shining .

Sparling noun [ Akin to German spierling , spiering , Dutch spiering : confer French éperlan .] (Zoology) (a) The European smelt ( Osmerus eperlanus ). (b) A young salmon. (c) A tern. [ Scot. & Prov. Eng.]

Sparlyre noun [ Anglo-Saxon spear- lira .] The calf of the leg. [ Obsolete] Wyclif (Deut. xxviii. 35).

Sparoid adjective [ Latin sparus the gilthead + -oid : confer French sparoïde .] (Zoology) Of or pertaining to the Sparidæ , a family of spinous-finned fishes which includes the scup, sheepshead, and sea bream. -- noun One of the Sparidæ .

Sparpiece noun (Architecture) The collar beam of a roof; the spanpiece. Gwilt.

Sparpoil transitive verb [ See Sparble .] To scatter; to spread; to disperse. [ Obsolete]

Sparrow noun [ Middle English sparwe , Anglo-Saxon spearwa ; akin to Old High German sparo , German sper ling, Icelandic spörr , Danish spurv , spurre , Swedish sparf , Goth. sparwa ; -- originally, probably, the quiverer or flutterer, and akin to English spurn . See Spurn , and confer Spavin .]
1. (Zoology) One of many species of small singing birds of the family Fringilligæ , having conical bills, and feeding chiefly on seeds. Many sparrows are called also finches , and buntings . The common sparrow, or house sparrow, of Europe ( Passer domesticus ) is noted for its familiarity, its voracity, its attachment to its young, and its fecundity. See House sparrow , under House .

» The following American species are well known; the chipping sparrow , or chippy , the sage sparrow , the savanna sparrow , the song sparrow , the tree sparrow , and the white-throated sparrow (see Peabody bird ). See these terms under Sage , Savanna , etc.

2. (Zoology) Any one of several small singing birds somewhat resembling the true sparrows in form or habits, as the European hedge sparrow. See under Hedge .

He that doth the ravens feed,
Yea, providently caters for the sparrow ,
Be comfort to my age!

Shak.

Field sparrow , Fox sparrow , etc. See under Field , Fox , etc. -- Sparrow bill , a small nail; a castiron shoe nail; a sparable. -- Sparrow hawk . (Zoology) (a) A small European hawk ( Accipiter nisus ) or any of the allied species. (b) A small American falcon ( Falco sparverius ). (c) The Australian collared sparrow hawk ( Accipiter torquatus ). The name is applied to other small hawks, as the European kestrel and the New Zealand quail hawk. -- Sparrow owl (Zoology) , a small owl ( Glaucidium passerinum ) found both in the Old World and the New. The name is also applied to other species of small owls. -- Sparrow spear (Zoology) , the female of the reed bunting. [ Prov. Eng.]

Sparrowgrass noun [ Corrupted from asparagus .] Asparagus. [ Colloq.] See the Note under Asparagus .

Sparrowwort noun (Botany) An evergreen shrub of the genus Erica ( E. passerina ).

Sparry adjective [ From Spar .] Resembling spar, or consisting of spar; abounding with spar; having a confused crystalline structure; spathose.

Sparry iron (Min.) , siderite. See Siderite (a) . -- Sparry limestone (Min.) , a coarsely crystalline marble.

Sparse adjective [ Compar. Sparser ; superl. Sparsest .] [ Latin sparsus , past participle of spargere to strew, scatter. Confer Asperse , Disperse .]
1. Thinly scattered; set or planted here and there; not being dense or close together; as, a sparse population. Carlyle.

2. (Botany) Placed irregularly and distantly; scattered; -- applied to branches, leaves, peduncles, and the like.

Sparse transitive verb [ Latin sparsus , past participle of spargere to scatter.] To scatter; to disperse. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Sparsedly adverb Sparsely. [ Obsolete]

Sparsely adverb In a scattered or sparse manner.

Sparseness noun The quality or state of being sparse; as, sparseness of population.

Sparsim adverb [ Latin , from spargere to scatter.] Sparsely; scatteredly; here and there.

Spartan adjective [ Latin Spartanus .] Of or pertaining to Sparta, especially to ancient Sparta; hence, hardy; undaunted; as, Spartan souls; Spartan bravey. -- noun A native or inhabitant of Sparta; figuratively, a person of great courage and fortitude.

Sparteine noun (Chemistry) A narcotic alkaloid extracted from the tops of the common broom ( Cytisus scoparius , formerly Spartium scoparium ), as a colorless oily liquid of aniline-like odor and very bitter taste.

Sparterie noun [ French, from Spanish esparto esparto, Latin spartum , Greek ....] Articles made of the blades or fiber of the Lygeum Spartum and Stipa (or Macrochloa) tenacissima , kinds of grass used in Spain and other countries for making ropes, mats, baskets, nets, and mattresses. Loudon.

Sparth noun [ Confer Icelandic spar...a .] An Anglo-Saxon battle-ax, or halberd. [ Obsolete]

He hath a sparth of twenty pound of weight.

Chaucer.

Sparve noun (Zoology) The hedge sparrow. [ Prov. Eng.]

Spary adjective Sparing; parsimonious. [ Obsolete]

Spasm noun [ French spasme , Latin spasmus , Greek ..., from ..., ..., to draw, to cause convulsion. Confer Span , transitive verb ]
1. (Medicine) An involuntary and unnatural contraction of one or more muscles or muscular fibers.

» Spasm are usually either clonic or tonic . In clonic spasm , the muscles or muscular fibers contract and relax alternately in very quick succession. In tonic spasm , the contraction is steady and uniform, and continues for a comparatively long time, as in tetanus.

2. A sudden, violent, and temporary effort or emotion; as, a spasm of repentance.

Cynic spasm (Medicine) See under Cynic . -- Spasm of the chest . See Angina pectoris , under Angina .

Spasmatical adjective Spasmodic. [ Obsolete]

Spasmodic adjective [ Greek ...; ... a convulsion + ... likeness: confer French spasmotique .]
1. (Medicine) Of or pertaining to spasm; consisting in spasm; occuring in, or characterized by, spasms; as, a spasmodic asthma.

2. Soon relaxed or exhausted; convulsive; intermittent; as, spasmodic zeal or industry.

Spasmodic croup (Medicine) , an affection of childhood characterized by a stoppage of brathing developed suddenly and without fever, and produced by spasmodic contraction of the vocal cords. It is sometimes fatal. Called also laryngismus stridulus , and childcrowing . -- Spasmodic stricture , a stricture caused by muscular spasm without structural change. See Organic stricture , under Organic .

Spasmodic noun (Medicine) A medicine for spasm.

Spasmodical adjective Same as Spasmodic , adjective -- Spas*mod"ic*al*ly adverb

Spastic adjective [ Latin spasticus , Greek ..., from ... to draw: confer French spastique . See Spasm .] (Medicine) Of or pertaining to spasm; spasmodic; especially, pertaining to tonic spasm; tetanic.

Spastically adverb Spasmodically.

Spasticity noun
1. A state of spasm.

2. The tendency to, or capability of suffering, spasm.

Spat imperfect of Spit . [ Obsolete or R.]

Spat noun [ From the root of spit ; hence, literally, that which is ejected.] A young oyster or other bivalve mollusk, both before and after it first becomes adherent, or such young, collectively.

Spat intransitive verb & t. To emit spawn; to emit, as spawn.

Spat noun [ Confer Pat .]
1. A light blow with something flat. [ U.S. & Prov. Eng.]

2. Hence, a petty combat, esp. a verbal one; a little quarrel, dispute, or dissension. [ U. S.]

Spat intransitive verb To dispute. [ R.] Smart.

Spat transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Spatted ; present participle & verbal noun Spatting .] To slap, as with the open hand; to clap together; as the hands. [ Local, U.S.]

Little Isabel leaped up and down, spatting her hands.

Judd.

Spat noun [ Short for Spatterdash .]
1. A legging; a gaiter. [ Scot. & Dial. Eng.]

2. A kind of short cloth or leather gaiter worn over the upper part of the shoe and fastened beneath the instep; -- chiefly in plural

Spatangoid adjective (Zoology) Of or pertaining to the Spatangoidea. -- noun One of the Spatangoidea.

Spatangoidea noun plural [ New Latin See Spatangus , and -oid .] (Zoology) An order of irregular sea urchins, usually having a more or less heart-shaped shell with four or five petal-like ambulacra above. The mouth is edentulous and situated anteriorly, on the under side.

Spatangus noun [ New Latin , from Latin spatangius a kind of sea urchin, Greek ....] (Zoology) A genus of heart-shaped sea urchins belonging to the Spatangoidea.

Spatchcock noun See Spitchcock .

Spate noun [ Of Celtic origin; confer Ir. speid .] A river flood; an overflow or inundation. Burns.

Gareth in a showerful spring
Stared at the spate .

Tennyson.

Spatha noun ; plural Spathæ . [ Latin ] (Botany) A spathe.