Word origins - 2ed. J. Ayto. 2005.
Tinder — Tin der, n. [OE. tinder, tunder, AS. tynder, tyndre; akin to tendan to kindle, D. tonder tinder, G. zunder, OHG. zuntara, zuntra, Icel. tundr, Sw. tunder, Dan. t[ o]nder. See {Tind}.] Something very inflammable, used for kindling fire from a… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Tinder — is easily combustible material used to ignite fires by rudimentary methods. A small fire consisting of tinder is then used to ignite kindling. Anything that can be ignited by a match can be considered tinder. Materials commonly used as tinder:*… … Wikipedia
tinder — (n.) dry, inflammable substance, O.E. tynder, related to tendan to kindle, from P.Gmc. *tund ignite, kindle (Cf. Goth. tandjan, Swed. tända, Ger. zünden) … Etymology dictionary
tinder — ► NOUN ▪ dry, flammable material used for lighting a fire. ORIGIN Old English … English terms dictionary
tinder — [tin′dər] n. [ME < OE tynder (akin to Ger zunder) < base of OE tendan, to kindle] any dry, easily flammable material, esp. as formerly used for starting a fire from a spark made by flint and steel struck together … English World dictionary
tinder — [OE] Tinder, and its relatives German zunder, Dutch tonder, and Swedish tunder, go back to a prehistoric Germanic base *tund ‘ignite, kindle’, which also produced German anzünden, Swedish upptända, and Danish antænde ‘kindle’. Its ultimate… … The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins
tinder — noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English tynder; akin to Old High German zuntra tinder, Old English tendan to kindle Date: before 12th century 1. a very flammable substance adaptable for use as kindling 2. something that serves to incite… … New Collegiate Dictionary
tinder — n. a dry substance such as wood that readily catches fire from a spark. Phrases and idioms: tinder box hist. a box containing tinder, flint, and steel, formerly used for kindling fires. Derivatives: tindery adj. Etymology: OE tynder, tyndre f.… … Useful english dictionary
tinder — [[t]tɪ̱ndə(r)[/t]] N UNCOUNT Tinder consists of small pieces of something dry, especially wood or grass, that burns easily and can be used for lighting a fire. Syn: kindling … English dictionary
tinder — tin•der [[t]ˈtɪn dər[/t]] n. 1) a highly flammable material formerly used for starting a fire by catching the spark from a flint and steel struck together 2) any dry, easily ignitable substance • Etymology: bef. 900; ME; OE tynder; akin to OHG… … From formal English to slang
