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TINDER (O. Eng. tyndre, from tindan, ...

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Originally appearing in Volume V26, Page 999 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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TINDER (O. Eng. tyndre, from tindan, tendan, to kindle, cf. See also:Dan. tonder, Ger. anzunden)  , a See also:term applied to any dry substance that will readily take See also:light from a spark and so be used for kindling a See also:fire . Before the invention of matches (see MATCH) fire or light was procured by the ignition of See also:tinder through See also:sparks obtained by the striking of See also:flint against See also:steel, the whole apparatus of tinder, flint and steel being contained in a See also:metal See also:box, which was an essential utensil of all households and was also carried on the See also:person of everyone who might require a light in an emergency . The usual material of " tinder " was a See also:mass of charred See also:linen, but the term was also applied to " touchwood," or See also:wood converted into an easily ignitible consistency by the See also:action of certain See also:fungi . Another See also:form of " tinder " was " touchpaper," See also:paper dipped in See also:nitre and used as a slow-match for igniting See also:gunpowder . In both these words " See also:touch " stands for an earlier tack, Cache or tasshe, tinder, of which the origin is unknown . It may be related to Du. tak, bough, twig, and would thus mean dried twigs used as tinder .

End of Article: TINDER (O. Eng. tyndre, from tindan, tendan, to kindle, cf. Dan. tonder, Ger. anzunden)
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