sprite

Everyday

1. A small magical creature like a fairy or elf in stories, often playful or mischievous. tree →
2. (computing) A small picture or character that moves around in a computer game, such as in Scratch. tree →
3. (science) A rare flash of red light high above a thunderstorm. tree →
4. Sprite (with a capital S) is a lemon-lime fizzy drink brand. tree →

In the lessons

In stories, sprites are water or air spirits in myths and fairy tales; in coding lessons with Scratch, pupils program sprites (like the cat) to move, talk and react. In science, «red sprites» are a kind of upper-air lightning photographed from planes and space.

Examples

• In Scratch, make the sprite move ten steps. tree →
• A water sprite lived in the river in the fairy tale. tree →
• Change your sprite's costume to make it look like it's walking. tree →
• The mischievous sprite hid the farmer's boots. tree →
• Red sprites flash high above thunderclouds. tree →
• Can I have a Sprite with my lunch? tree →
• “That's glorious fun!” said the sprite. tree →

Note

Countable. Say to rhyme with «bright». Similar: fairy, pixie, elf. In Scratch, a sprite is any object on the stage besides the background.