amadou

[ am-uh-doo ]

/ ˈæm əˌdu /

noun

a spongy substance prepared from fungi, Polyporus (Fomes) fomentarius and allied species, growing on trees, used as tinder and in surgery.

Nearby words

amadis, amadis of gaul, amado, amadoda, amador guerrero, amadou, amagasaki, amah, amain, amakihi, amakrokokroko

Origin of amadou

1805–15; < French, Middle French, apparently noun derivative of amadouer to coax, influence by flattery. verbal derivative of Provençal, Old Provençal amadou(r) lover < Latin amātōr-, stem of amātor (see amateur); name is usually explained by the conventional association between love and highly combustible substances

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for amadou

The driver, Amadou Diallo, was a courtly African immigrant who made it a point to wear a tie as he worked.
The Mad Shooter of Paris Is a ‘Natural Born Killer’|Christopher Dickey|November 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
This has happened before, to Amadou Diallo, Abner Louima, Emmett Till—even during the New York City draft riots of 1863.
Not This Again: The Ghost of Past Injustices, From the Draft Riots to Trayvon|Herb Boyd|July 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
From Rodney King to Amadou Diallo to Sean Bell, stories of police over-response continue to fill the news.
Police Shoot 137 Times Into Car After Chase, Killing Unarmed Couple|Mansfield Frazier|December 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Just over a dozen years ago, Amadou Diallo was shot at 41 times by police officers who mistook his wallet for a gun.
Why the DSK Maid Lied|Jesse Ellison|July 7, 2011|DAILY BEAST

I suppose, if the datum has anywhere been admitted to French publications, the word "amadou" has been avoided, and "punk" used.
The Book of the Damned|Charles Fort
Its thick spongy stem, being reduced to charcoal, takes fire like amadou.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure
In this English publication, the word "punk" is not used; the substance is called "amadou."
The Book of the Damned|Charles Fort
Thom says that Boletus laricis and Polyporus fomentarius yield the amadou of commerce.
Among the Mushrooms|Ellen M. Dallas and Caroline A. Burgin

British Dictionary definitions for amadou

amadou

/ (ˈæməˌduː) /

noun

a spongy substance made from certain fungi, such as Polyporus (or Fomes) fomentarius and related species, used as tinder to light fires, in medicine to stop bleeding, and, esp formerly, by anglers to dry off dry flies between casts

Word Origin for amadou

C18: from French, from Provençal: lover, from Latin amātor, from amāre to love; so called because it readily ignites

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012