scintillate
\ SIN-tl-eyt \ , verb;
1.to twinkle, as the stars.
2.to sparkle; flash: a mind that scintillates with brilliance .
3.to emit sparks.
4.Electronics . (of a spot of light or image on a radar display) to shift rapidly around a mean position.
5.Physics . a. (of the amplitude, phase, or polarization of an electromagnetic wave) to fluctuate in a random manner. b. (of an energetic photon or particle) to produce a flash of light in a phosphor by striking it.
Quotes:
My wit is all of the p.m. variety, and never scintillates in the morning.
-- Ellen Thorneycroft Fowler, "A Double Thread" , 1899
Aldebaran was a spot of blood-red fire, and Sirius condensed to one point the light of a world of sapphires. And they shone steadily: they did not scintillate , they were calmly glorious.
-- H.G. Wells, "Under the Knife" , 1896
Origin:
Scintillate is related to the Latin scintillāre meaning "to send out sparks, flash." It entered English in the early 1600s.
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