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scintilla

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scin⋅til⋅la

[sin-til-uh]
–noun
a minute particle; spark; trace: not a scintilla of remorse.

Origin:
1685–95; < L: spark
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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scin·til·la   (sĭn-tĭl'ə)   
n.  
  1. A minute amount; an iota or trace.

  2. A spark; a flash.


[Latin, spark.]
scin'til·lant adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

scintilla 
1692, from fig. use of L. scintilla "particle of fire, spark, glittering speck, atom," probably from PIE *ski-nto-, from base *skai- "to shine, to gleam" (cf. Goth. skeinan, O.E. scinan "to shine").
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: scin·til·la
Pronunciation: sin-'ti-l&
Function: noun
: a small trace or barely perceptible amount of something (as evidence supporting a position)
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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