scintilla

Where does the word "scintilla" come from? It comes from Latin scintilla, and was adopted directly into English (1690s).

Scintilla’s story begins in Latin: scintilla meant “spark.” A spark; 'scintillate' and, through Old French, 'tinsel' share the root. It reached English by 1690s as scintilla. 'not a scintilla of evidence' became a lawyers' phrase. Today, scintilla means a tiny trace or amount.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient scintilla "spark", a spark; 'scintillate' and, through Old French, 'tinsel' share the root.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1690s scintilla "tiny trace", 'not a scintilla of evidence' became a lawyers' phrase.