[syn: glitter, glister, glisten, scintillation, sparkle]
5. the twinkling of the stars caused when changes in the density of the earth's atmosphere produce uneven refraction of starlight;
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Scintillation \Scin`til*la"tion\, n. [L. scintillatio: cf. F.
scintillation.]
1. The act of scintillating.
[1913 Webster]
2. A spark or flash emitted in scintillating.
[1913 Webster]
These scintillations are . . . the inflammable
effluences discharged from the bodies collided.
--Sir T.
Browne.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
scintillation
n 1: (physics) a flash of light that is produced in a phosphor
when it absorbs a photon or ionizing particle
2: a rapid change in brightness; a brief spark or flash [syn:
twinkle, scintillation, sparkling]
3: a brilliant display of wit
4: the quality of shining with a bright reflected light [syn:
glitter, glister, glisten, scintillation, sparkle]
5: the twinkling of the stars caused when changes in the density
of the earth's atmosphere produce uneven refraction of
starlight
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
78 Moby Thesaurus words for "scintillation":
aphorism, apothegm, black spot, blink, blinking, bloom, blooping,
bon mot, boutade, bright idea, bright thought, brilliant idea,
conceit, coruscation, crack, definition, epigram, facetiae,
firefly, flare, flash of wit, flight of wit, fringe area, ghost,
gibe, glance, glimmer, glimmering, glint, glisten, glister,
glitter, glittering, glowworm, granulation, grid, happy thought,
hard shadow, image, mot, multiple image, nasty crack, noise,
persiflage, picture, picture noise, picture shifts, play of wit,
pleasantry, quip, quips and cranks, rain, repartee, retort,
riposte, rolling, sally, scanning pattern, scintilla, shading,
shimmer, shimmering, smart crack, smart saying, snappy comeback,
snow, snowstorm, spangle, spark, sparkle, stroboscopic light,
stroke of wit, tinsel, turn of thought, twinkle, twinkling,
wisecrack, witticism