Sparkling

How to spell sparkling

9 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce sparkling

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does sparkling mean?

1. adjectiveShining with many small flashes of bright, flickering light.
2. adjectiveOf a drink, full of small rising bubbles of gas; fizzy.

Sparkling in a sentence

• The freshly cleaned windows left the whole room sparkling in the morning sun.

• She ordered a bottle of sparkling water with a slice of lemon.

• Her diamond earrings looked sparkling under the restaurant lights.

• They toasted the new contract with a glass of sparkling wine.

Where does sparkling come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word descends from the native English noun spark, which appears in Old English as spearca, meaning a small glowing or burning particle thrown off by a fire. From that noun came the verb sparkle, formed by adding the frequentative suffix -le, which conveys a small action repeated over and over; to sparkle therefore literally meant to give off many tiny sparks in quick succession. By the late fourteenth century the verb had broadened from actual flying embers to any bright, flickering glitter of light, such as that of jewels or water. The form sparkling is simply the present participle, used both as a verb form and as an adjective, and by the eighteenth century it had attached itself to wines and waters that fizz with bubbles, since the rising bubbles seem to glitter. The spelling stays reassuringly regular: just spark plus l plus ing, with no hidden letters to trip the writer.

How the word is built

• spark (root, a glowing particle)
• -le (frequentative suffix forming sparkle)
• -ing (present participle/adjective suffix)