kindle

Definition

To start (a fire) or light (a torch, a match, coals, etc.).

Etymology

From Middle English kyndelen, from Old Norse kynda (“to inflame”), from Proto-Germanic *kundijaną.

Example Sentences

• "If a person kindle a fire in the house of another person, let him pay for the house to the owner, if it be burned."
• "And then it was that I first perceived the danger in which I stood; for there was no hope of kindling a light, and I doubted now whether even in the light I could ever have done much to dislodge the great slab of slate."
• "Energy has seldom been found where we need it when we want it. Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame."

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