tinder

American  

[tin-der] / ˈtɪn dər /

noun

1. a highly flammable material or preparation formerly used for catching the spark from a flint and steel struck together for fire or light.

2. any dry substance that readily takes fire from a spark.

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tinder British  

/ ˈtɪndə /

noun

1. dry wood or other easily combustible material used for lighting a fire

2. anything inflammatory or dangerous

   his speech was tinder to the demonstrators' unrest

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Other Word Forms

• tindery adjective

Etymology

Origin of tinder

before 900; Middle English; Old English tynder; akin to German Zunder, Old Norse tundr, Old English -tendan (as in ātendan to set on fire), Gothic tundnan to catch fire, German -zünden in entzünden to kindle

Compare meaning

How does tinder compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• tinder vs. kindling

Example Sentences

He fumbled at his belt for his tinder pouch.

From Literature

Neither side is sitting still—and the steps they are taking to shore up their longer-term resilience will likely provide tinder for flare-ups.

From Barron's

But a week later, powerful Santa Ana winds arrived, and coupled with single-digit humidity, they turned the landscape into bone-dry tinder ready to burn.

From Los Angeles Times

“The tinder was there for something like Friday to occur,” said Mike Thompson, co-portfolio manager at Little Harbor Advisors.

From MarketWatch

Knowing there is already a wealth of tinder, the skippers will not want sparks to fly - certainly until the contest finally gets under way on Friday morning.

From BBC