Sparkles

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The striking visual effect of shimmering light results from reflections that generate bright flashes, often enhancing the aesthetic appeal of various objects and creating an enchanting atmosphere
2. To produce tiny bright flashes of light intermittently ; to show numerous small shining points that twinkle vividly
3. To give off brief bursts of gleaming light like tiny stars ; to exhibit a surface covered with lively, flickering lights

Etymology: "Sparkles" is simply the third-person singular present form of the verb "sparkle," so the story belongs to the verb. "Sparkle" is built from "spark" plus "-le," a suffix that makes repeated or diminutive actions: the spark is the flash itself, and the "-le" turns it into a verb for flashing again and again. The base is old, and the pattern is old too, which is why the verb and its close relatives in West Frisian and Dutch share the same shape. Its meaning has stayed close to that flicker of light for centuries, with the idea of many tiny bright points rather than one burst. Because "spark" itself carried the image of a small glowing particle, "sparkle" describes light broken into many glints.

Synonyms: glimmers, shines, glows

Antonyms: dulls, fades, darkens