Word of the day · 27 July 2026
scintilla
/sɪnˈtɪlə/
noun
A tiny spark or trace; the smallest amount of something.
In a sentence
- There was not a scintilla of proof in the file.
- A scintilla of doubt kept her from signing.
- He felt a scintilla of hope when the call went to voicemail instead of a rejection.
In an image
Origin
From Latin scintilla (spark).
History
Roman scintilla named a spark from fire. English legal and literary prose kept it for the least particle of evidence or feeling. Phrases like not a scintilla of doubt made the word familiar in courts and columns. It remains a precise way to say almost none without saying zero.
Nearby words
iota · trace · spark
Barely enough to notice, yet enough to name.