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ember

[em-ber]
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noun

a small live piece of coal, wood, etc., as in a dying fire.
embers, the smoldering remains of a fire.

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RELATED WORDS

cinder, ash, coal, brand, slag

Nearby words

  1. embedded microchips,
  2. embedding,
  3. embelin,
  4. embellish,
  5. embellishment,
  6. ember day,
  7. ember days,
  8. ember goose,
  9. ember week,
  10. embergoose

Origin of ember

before 1000; Middle English eemer, emeri, Old English ǣmerge, ǣmyrie (cognate with Old Norse eimyrja, Old High German eimuria), equivalent to ǣm- (cognate with Old Norse eimr steam) + -erge, -yrie, akin to Old English ys(e)le ember, Latin ūrere to burn
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ember

British Dictionary definitions for ember

ember

noun

a glowing or smouldering piece of coal or wood, as in a dying fire
the fading remains of a past emotionthe embers of his love

Word Origin for ember

Old English ǣmyrge; related to Old Norse eimyrja ember, eimr smoke, Old High German eimuria ember
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
Word Origin and History for ember

ember

n.

Old English æmerge "ember," merged with or influenced by Old Norse eimyrja, both from Proto-Germanic *aim-uzjon- "ashes" (cf. Middle Low German emere, Old High German eimuria, German Ammern); a compound from *aima- "ashes" (from PIE root *ai- "to burn;" see edifice) + *uzjo- "to burn" (from PIE root *eus- "to burn;" cf. Latin urere "to burn, singe"). The -b- is intrusive.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper