cinder

American  

[sin-der] / ˈsɪn dər /

noun

1. a partially or mostly burned piece of coal, wood, etc.

2. cinders,

   1. any residue of combustion; ashes.

   2. Geology. coarse scoriae erupted by volcanoes.

3. a live, flameless coal; ember.

4. Metallurgy.

   1. slag.

   2. a mixture of ashes and slag.

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verb (used with object)

1. to spread cinders on.

   The highway department salted and cindered the icy roads.

2. Archaic. to reduce to cinders.

verb (used without object)

1. to spread cinders on a surface, as a road or sidewalk.

   My neighbor began cindering as soon as the first snowflake fell.

cinder British  

/ ˈsɪndə /

noun

1. a piece of incombustible material left after the combustion of coal, coke, etc; clinker

2. a piece of charred material that burns without flames; ember

3. Also called: sinter.  any solid waste from smelting or refining

4. (plural) fragments of volcanic lava; scoriae

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verb

1. rare (tr) to burn to cinders

cinder Idioms  

1. see burned to a cinder.

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Other Word Forms

• cinderlike
  adjective
• cinderous
  adjective
• cindery
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of cinder

before 900; Middle English synder, Old English sinder slag; cognate with German Sinter, Old Norse sindr; c- (for s- ) < French cendre ashes

Explanation

A cinder is a small, hot, glowing coal from a fire. When you put out a campfire, it's important to make sure that not one single cinder remains. It's easy to miss the fact that a cinder is still hot, since it remains that way long after every flame has been extinguished. When people clean out their wood stoves, they put the ashes in a metal bucket — rather than a flammable paper bag, for example — in case there are hot cinders hidden inside them. The word cinder comes from the Old English sinder, or "slag." The c comes from the otherwise unrelated French cendre, "ashes."

Example Sentences

Cinder tracks were harder and faster, but they had one big disadvantage.

From BBC • Jul. 22, 2024

But, in fact, there are even smaller homes in his subdivision, Cinder Butte, which was developed by a local builder called Hayden Homes.

From New York Times • Feb. 17, 2024

Cinder blocks on the end of the grandstands show the strain of age.

From Washington Times • Jun. 26, 2023

Though water, earth, air and fire share a complicated coexistence in this bustling metropolis, Bernie and Cinder don’t find warm hospitality there.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2023

Cinder wrapped shaking arms around his midsection and hunched over, closing his eyes.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Related Words

• ember
• soot