- 1
A scintilla is a very, very small amount of something — so small it is like a spark. English borrowed the Latin word for “spark,” and we almost always use it in serious or slightly formal talk, especially in the set shape not a scintilla of… (not even the tiniest bit). You hear it with words like evidence, doubt, or truth. Ordinary daily English would say not a bit or not a scrap. Nobody uses scintilla for a large amount, and it is rare in casual chat.
絲毫；一丁點（多見於「沒有絲毫…」，偏書面）
組成In English since the 17th century; borrowed from Latin scintilla (spark).
同家族的字
- scintillatethe verb: to sparkle, from the same Latin spark
- scintillatingsparkling, or (more often now) clever and lively
原始詞典資料2 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
scintillanoun/sɪnˈtɪlə/
- 1
A small spark or flash.
- If the action of the electrodynamic waves is so violent that, even without artificial electrification of the secondary conductor, scintillæ occur in its spark-gap, the aluminium leaves remain almost without change.
- 2
A small or trace amount.
- a scintilla of hope
- And, if I except the sagacious remark of General Duane which has been so curtly brushed aside, not a scintilla of light has been cast upon these causes by any researches ever published by the Lighthouse Board of Washington.
資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。