View synonyms for scintillation

scintillation

[ sin-tl-ey-shuhn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

the act of scintillating; sparkling.
a spark or flash.
Astronomy. the twinkling or tremulous effect of the light of the stars.
Meteorology. any small-scale twinkling or shimmering of objects that are viewed through the atmosphere, caused by an interception of the observer's line of view by inhomogeneities in the atmospheric refractive index.
Physics.
1. a flash of light from the ionization of a phosphor struck by an energetic photon or particle.
2. random fluctuation of the amplitude, phase, or polarization of an electromagnetic wave.
(on a radar display) a slight, rapid shifting of a spot of light or the image of an object about its mean position.

scintillation

/ ˌsɪntɪˈleɪʃən /

the act of scintillating
a spark or flash
the twinkling of stars or radio sources, caused by rapid changes in the density of the earth's atmosphere, the interplanetary medium, or the interstellar medium, producing uneven refraction of starlight
physics a flash of light produced when a material scintillates

First recorded in 1615–25, scintillation is from the Latin word scintillātiōn- (stem of scintillātiō ). See scintillate, -ion

Miriam retorted with the first scintillation of gaiety she had shown on this occasion.

With the spell of her voice, of her eyes, of her radiant face upon him, Cameron's scintillation faded and snuffed out.

The Diana pond was skinned with ice; goddess and golden nymphs caught every scintillation of cold sunlight as we trundled past.

The room was filled with a luminous rosy light, alive with scintillation of diamond brilliancy.

The presence of moisture in the atmosphere intensifies scintillation, and this is usually regarded as a prognostication of rain.

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