espurna

Catalan

Etymology

Uncertain; possibly pre-Roman, from an Proto-Indo-European root *pur- (“fire”). Also found in Old Catalan as purna. Alternatively, linked to Latin prūna (“burning coal”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [əsˈpur.nə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [esˈpuɾ.na]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Noun

espurna f (plural espurnes)

1. spark (particle of glowing matter)

   Synonym: guspira

2. spark (burst of electrical discharge)

   Synonyms: centella, guspira

Derived terms

• espurnar
• espurnejar

Further reading

• “espurna” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “espurna” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
• “espurna”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025