scintillate

UK: /ˈsɪntɪˌleɪt/ US: (sin′tl āt′)

Inflections of 'scintillate' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

scintillates

v 3rd person singular

scintillating

v pres p

scintillated

v past

scintillated

v past p

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

scin•til•late  (sin′tl āt′), v., -lat•ed, -lat•ing. 
v.i. 

1. to emit sparks.
2. to sparkle;
   flash:
   a mind that scintillates with brilliance.
3. to twinkle, as the stars.
4. Electronics (of a spot of light or image on a radar display) to shift rapidly around a mean position.
5. Physics
   • (of the amplitude, phase, or polarization of an electromagnetic wave) to fluctuate in a random manner.
   • (of an energetic photon or particle) to produce a flash of light in a phosphor by striking it.

v.t. 

6. to emit as sparks;
   flash forth.

• Latin scintillātus (past participle of scintillāre to send out sparks, flash). See scintilla, -ate¹
• 1615–25

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

scintillate / ˈsɪntɪˌleɪt/ verb (mainly intr)

1. (also tr) to give off (sparks); sparkle; twinkle
2. to be animated or brilliant
3. to give off flashes of light as a result of the impact of particles or photons

Etymology: 17th Century: from Latin scintillāre, from scintilla a spark

ˈscintillant adjective