▪ I. tinder, n.
(ˈtɪndə(r))
Forms: α. 1 tyndre, tyndir, 1–7 tynder, 5 -yr, 3– tinder (7 -ar). β. 3–7 (9 dial.) tunder, 4 tonder, tondre, 4–5 tundyr, 5 Sc. toundire. γ. 3–4, 6 tendre, 5 tendern, tendere.
[OE. tynder ? m., and tyndre wk. fem. (?:—*tundrio-, *tundriôn-), from OTeut. *tund- weak grade of *tind- to kindle: see tind v. Cognate forms (varying in suffix and gender) are MLG., LG. tunder, Du. tonder, ON. tundr (Sw. tunder, Da. t{obar}nder), OHG. zuntara fem. (MHG. zunder m. and n., Ger. zunder m.). ME. and mod.Eng. tinder regularly represent OE. tynder; ME. tunder (toundir, tonder), also mod. dial. (Linc.), may be from ON. tundr. The 13–16th c. forms tendere, -dre, -der (implied for 13th c. in tinder v.), were prob. assimilated to the α-type of tind v.]
a. Any dry inflammable substance that readily takes fire from a spark and burns or smoulders; esp. that prepared from partially charred linen and from species of Polyporus or corkwood fungus (agaric 1), formerly in common use to catch the spark struck from a flint with a steel, as the means of kindling a fire or ‘striking’ a light. German tinder: see amadou.
| α a 700 Epinal Gloss. (O.E.T.) 562 Isca, tyndirin [a 800 Erfurt tyndrin]. Ibid. 685 Naphtha, genus fomenti, id est tyndir. a 800 Leiden Gloss. 179 Isica, tyndri. c 1000 ælfric Gloss. in Wr.-Wülcker 149/30 Fomes, ᵹeswælud spoon, uel tynder. a 1050 Liber Scintill. 210 Na elleshwar ᵹewilnunge tyndran onælþ. c 1205 Lay. 29267 Þa..he..lette þe curneles ut draȝen & tinder nom And lette i þan scalen don. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. x. viii. (1495) 379 Of a lytill sperkyll in an hepe of towe or of tyndyr cometh sodaynly a grete fyre. 1582 Stanyhurst æneis i. (Arb.) 23 In spunck or tinder thee quick fyre he kindly receaued. 1610 B. Jonson Alch. i. i. 1664 Evelyn Sylva (1679) 27 Nor may we..omit to mention the..fungus's to make Tinder. 1682 N. O. Boileau's Lutrin iii. 57 The spark in Tinder cherisht, toucht with Metch In Sulphur dip't, kindles with quick dispatch The Torch. 1773 Cook Voy. round World i. vii. (1777) I. 113 In one there was the stone they strike fire with, and tinder made of bark. 1812 Sir H. Davy Chem. Philos. 90 A machine for setting fire to tinder of the agaric by the compression of air has been for some time in use. 1837 Howitt Rur. Life ii. iii. (1862) 115 He strikes a light with his tinder, for lucifers he never saw. 1867 Baker Nile Tribut. xv. (1872) 263 The grass was as inflammable as tinder. 1879 Cassell's Techn. Educ. viii. 114/2 The internal spongy portion of several species of Polyporus, soaked in a solution of nitre, forms tinder. |
| β c 1220 Bestiary 535 Of ston mid stel in ðe tunder Wel to brennen one ðis wunder. 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 7925 Hyt fareþ wyþ hem as fyre and tundyr [rime wundyr]. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xlix. (Tecla) 72 Wod dry as toundire. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xvii. 245 Bot þow haue towe to take it with tondre [v.r. tunder; 1393 C. xx. 211 tonder, tendere] or broches. 1483 Cath. Angl. 396/1 Tundyr, Incentinum,..receptaculum ignis, ignicippium. 1530 Palsgr. 283/2 Tunder to lyght a matche, fusil. 1562 Turner Herbal ii. 29 b, Agarik..where of som make tunder bothe in England and Germany. 1612 Sc. Bk. Rates in Halyburton's Ledger (1867) 291 Boxes called fyre or tunder boxes the groce iiii li. |
| γ c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 102 Þanne maist þou wiþ tendre gete fuyre of þat ston. 1393 Tendere [see quot. 1377 in β]. c 1400 R. Gloucester's Chron. App. S. 7 (MS. δ) Þo let he nime tendern [other MSS. tynder, tunder]. 1541 R. Copland Guydon's Quest. Chirurg. M j, They be made of softe tendre, as of seare olde lynen cloth. |
† b. transf. Fire; a spark; a tinder-box;
phr. to strike (on) a tinder.
Obs.| 1570 Levins Manip. 77/10 Tynder, incendium. 1604 Shakes. Oth. i. i. 141 Strike on the Tinder, hoa: Giue me a Taper. 1607 Dekker & Webster Northw. Hoe iii. Wks. 1873 III. 44 Ile goe strike a Tinder. c 1626 Dick of Devon. i. ii. in Bullen O. Pl. (1883) II. 12 So from a tinder at the first kindled Grew this heartburning twixt these two great Nations. |
c. fig.| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. v. §3 We habbað nu ᵹiet þone mæstan dæl þære tyndran þinre hæle. a 1050 Liber Scintill. lxxvii. (1889) 206 Tyndre [fomentum] and ceap godes cynnes lærestre mæᵹenes deð on criste wunian symle. 1595 Polimanteia (1881) 61 They haue strook fire into the tinder of my soft heart. 1643 Baker Chron., Hen. II 73 Finding his hot spirit to be fit tinder for such fire. 1794 Wolcott (P. Pindar) Pindariana Wks. 1812 IV. 212 Nothing to gild thy solitary tinder Save the rude flint and steel of Peter Pindar. |
d. attrib. and
Comb., as
tinder-lighter,
tinder-pouch,
tinder-purse;
tinder-cloaked,
tinder-dry,
tinder-like adjs.;
tinder-fungus, a fungus from which tinder is made, as
tinder-polypore,
Polyporus fomentarius;
tinder-ore,
tinder-water, see
quots.| 1647 Cleveland Char. Diurn. Maker Wks. (1677) 101 It is like over-reach of Language, when every Thin, *Tinder-cloak'd Quack must be called a Doctor. |
| 1891 Kipling Light that Failed ii. 33 The *tinder-dry clumps of scrub. 1896 Crockett Cleg Kelly vi, He crossed the marshy end of Duddingstone Loch. It was tinder-dry with the drought. |
| 1895 Funk's Standard Dict., *Tinder-fungus, a large leathery fungus..growing on trees; the amadou of commerce. |
| 1915 V. Asquith Let. 16 Nov. in M. Gilbert Winston S. Churchill (1972) III. Compan. ii. 1272 Is there anything you haven't got for the Front? Compass? Luminous wristwatch? Muffler? *Tinderlighter? 1977 ‘J. Gash’ Judas Pair ii. 25 Flintlocks..the standard tinder-lighter of history. |
| 1607 Shakes. Cor. ii. i. 55 Said to be..hasty and *Tinder-like vppon to triuiall motion. 1887 Rider Haggard Jess xxviii, The tinderlike roof burst into a broad sheet of flame. |
| 1868 Dana Min. 91 Zundererz, or Bergzunderz (= *Tinder Ore) of G. Lehmann.., which is soft like tinder and dark dirty red in color,..proves to be jamesonite or feather ore mixed with red silver and arsenopyrite. |
| 1883 R. Turner in Gd. Words Sept. 591/1 The common *tinder-polypore has..been found in the lake-dwelling at Lochlee. |
| 1883 Fisheries Exhib. Catal. 236 *Tinder-pouch..used by Hungarian fishermen. |
| 1662 J. Bargrave Pope Alex. VII (1867) 122 We had..*tynder purses.., with flint, steel, and match, to lighten our torches and candles when they went out. |
| 1748 Smollett Rod. Rand. xlvi, *Tinder-water!.. Water extracted from tinder... An universal specific for all distempers. |
Hence
ˈtindered a., burnt to tinder;
ˈtinderish,
ˈtinderous adjs., of the nature of tinder, tinder-like;
ˈtinderly adv., like tinder, in a tinder-like degree.
| 1809 T. Cowdell Poet. Jrnl. 40 in Nova Scotia Minstr. (1811) 47 Her tinder'd garments in my hand. 1825 T. Hook Sayings Ser. ii. Passion & Princ. xiv. III. 343 Harriet was tinderly tender. 1837 A. Langton Jrnl. 8 July in Gentlewoman in Upper Canada (1950) 15 From her gingham never having been washed I suppose it was more tinderish than my sister's and mine. 1870 Daily News 18 July, The furze is dry and tinderous. 1889 Clark Russell Marooned (1890) 213 So damp and tinderous too was the timber. 1890 ― Ocean Trag. xii, A sound as of the pressure of a light foot upon tinderish brushwood. |
▪ II. † tinder, tender, v. Obs. rare—1.
[ME. tendren, f. tendre, γ-form of tinder n.] intr. To become inflamed, glow, burn.
| c 1230 Hali Meid. 31 Ti neb ute-wið tendreð ut of tene. |