Old English spearca "glowing or fiery particle thrown off," from Proto-Germanic *spark- (cognates: Middle Low German sparke, Middle Dutch spranke, not found in other Germanic languages). Electrical sense dates from 1748. Old French esparque is from Germanic.
Slang sense of "a gallant, a showy beau, a roisterer" (c. 1600) is perhaps a figurative use, but also perhaps from cognate Old Norse sparkr "lively." Spark plug first recorded 1902 (sparking plug is from 1899); figurative sense of "one who initiates or is a driving force in some activity" is from 1941.
spark (v.)
c. 1200, "to emit sparks," from spark (n.). Meaning "to affect by an electrical spark" is from 1889. Figurative meaning "stimulate, to trigger" first attested 1912. Meaning "to play the gallant, to court" is from the 17c. secondary sense of the noun. Related: Sparked; sparking.
实用例句
1. He passed an electric spark through a mixture of gases.
他让一束电火花穿过了一团混合气体。
来自柯林斯例句
2. Some bright spark turned the heating off last night!
某个聪明过头的家伙昨晚把暖气关了。
来自柯林斯例句
3. His music lacked that vital spark of imagination.
