You searched for: “spark
electric spark, spark
A sudden and quick electric current that flows between two objects at different electrical potentials caused by direct contact or which are induced by an electrostatic field.

Electric sparks play an important part in many physical effects; usually these are harmful and undesirable effects, ranging from the gradual destruction of contacts in a conventional electrical switch to the large-scale disruption resulting from lightning discharges.

Sometimes the spark is useful; for example, its function in the ignition system of an automobile, its use as an intense short-duration illumination source in high-speed photography, and its use as a source of excitation in spectroscopy.

This entry is located in the following unit: electro-, electr-, electri- (page 14)
spark, spark, stark, start, start
spark (SPAHRK) (noun)
1. A small piece of burning material that comes from a fire or is produced by rubbing or hitting two hard objects together: "A spark from the logs in the fireplace could set something in this cabin on fire."
2. A quality that makes a person or something pleasant, interesting, or successful: "He's a great actor, but he seems to have lost some of the spark he used to have."
spark (SPAHRK) (verb)
1. To cause something to start or to happen: "His accusation is bound to spark an argument."
2. To increase interest, liveliness, or flavor to something: "His jokes always spark laughter before he even starts to tell them."
stark (STAHRK) (adjective)
1. Complete or utterly; extreme; entirely: "Too many people are living in stark poverty."

"All of that loud noise is about to drive me stark raving insane and why is that guy walking down the street stark naked?"

2. Unpleasant and difficult to accept or to experience: "The stark reality of his death while driving should be a stark reminder of the dangers of driving while drunk."
start (STAHRT) (verb)
To begin doing something or to do the first part of something: "She saw the new assignment as a chance to start a new life."

"The fitness trainer suggested that we start with some warm-up exercises."

start (STAHRT) (noun)
The first part of an activity, development, event, or the time at which something begins: "From the start of this winter, it has been snowing at least once a week."

"The discovery of the books could be the start of a better understanding of how the pioneers were able to survive as they traveled across the country."

A single spark from a cigarette was determined to have been the start of the forest fire. The landscape appeared stark and uninhabited after the fire was finally extinguished.

More possibly related word entries
A unit related to: “spark
(Latin: light, shine, spark, sparkle, twinkle)
Word Entries containing the term: “spark
electron-discharge machining, electron discharge machining, electrical discharge machining, EDM, electric spark machining; electroerosive machining; electrospark machining
1. The process of machining which is performed by electric sparks in a non-conductive liquid intervening substance.
2. A process by which materials that conduct electricity can be removed from a metal by an electric spark.

It is used to form holes with different shapes in materials that have poor machine operations.

This entry is located in the following units: electro-, electr-, electri- (page 56) -tron, -tronic, -tronics + (page 5)
ionic spectrum, spark spectrum
1. The spectrum produced by a spark discharging through a gas or vapor.

With metal electrodes, a spectrum of the metallic vapor is obtained.

This entry is located in the following unit: ion, ion- + (page 6)
spark ball electrode, spark-ball electrode
A metal sphere (ball) mounted at the end of a metal rod with an insulated handle.
This entry is located in the following unit: electro-, electr-, electri- (page 100)
spark-ignition combustion cycle, spark ignition combustion cycle; Otto cycle
1. A thermodynamic combustion cycle consisting of four processes that are used in mechanical engineering:
  • An air-fuel mixture is drawn into the cylinder and compressed.
  • Heat transfer is added by the spark ignition of the fuel mixture in the cylinder.
  • The gases produced by this combustion expand to move the piston downward for the power stroke.
  • The burned gases in the cylinder are expelled.
2. A thermodynamic process for the conversion of heat into work; for example, the sequential suction, compression, ignition, and expulsion in a four-stroke engine.

Named after Nikolaus August Otto (1832-1891), a German engineer and inventor.

This entry is located in the following units: -bust, -ust, -bur; bust-, bur-, ur- + (page 3) ign-, igni-, ignis- (page 3)