sprinkle
/ˈspɹɪŋkəl/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.39 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To cause (a substance) to fall in fine drops (for a liquid substance) or small pieces (for a solid substance).
Transitive verb
verb
To baptize by the application of a few drops, or a small quantity, of water; hence, to cleanse; to purify.
Transitive verb
noun
A light rain shower.
noun
An aspersorium or utensil for sprinkling.
Example Sentences
- "The confectioner sprinkled icing sugar over the cakes."
- "And the priest shall[…]sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the Lord."
- "At twilight in the summer[…]the mice come out. They[…]eat the luncheon crumbs. Mr. Checkly, for instance, always brought his dinner in a paper parcel in his coat-tail pocket, and ate it when so disposed, sprinkling crumbs lavishly[…]on the floor."
- "Over the centuries the movement of clans and tribes of people has provided the kind of crop that would emerge if a blind god had sprinkled seeds at random on a field[.]"
- "The confectioner sprinkled the cakes with icing sugar."
- "Most of the passengers watched from the enclosed promenade deck, but Sandra found her way to the higher, open promenade where she shivered and watched the city lights fade and the stars sprinkle themselves across a dark blue velvet sky."
Etymology
From Middle English sprenkelen, sprynklen, from Middle Dutch sprenkelen, equivalent to sprink + -le (frequentative suffix). Cognate with Dutch sprenkelen (“to sprinkle”), German Low German sprenkeln (“to sprinkle; dapple”), German sprenkeln (“to sprinkle”).