kindle

See also: Kindle

English

WOTD – 3 October 2006

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɪndl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪndəl

Etymology 1

From Middle English kindel, from Old English cynd.

Verb

kindle (third-person singular simple present kindles, present participle kindling, simple past and past participle kindled)

1. (intransitive, of a rabbit or hare) To bring forth young; to give birth.
   • 2014, Karen Patry, The Rabbit-Raising Problem Solver, Storey Publishing →ISBN, page 146

     If she kindled and lost just a few kits and is not bony over her back and hind end, you can rebreed immediately. If she kindled a large litter (more than, say, eight kits), you may wish to wait a week or two before rebreeding so that she can  ...

   • Holland

     The poor beast had but lately kindled.

Noun

kindle (plural kindles)

1. (rare, collective) A group of kittens.

   A kindle of kittens.

Hypernyms

• clowder, glaring

Translations

group of kittens

• Finnish: pentue

Adjective

in kindle (not comparable)

1. (of an animal) pregnant

Etymology 2

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

Verb

kindle (third-person singular simple present kindles, present participle kindling, simple past and past participle kindled)

1. (transitive) To start (a fire) or light (a torch, a match, coals, etc.).
   • 1841, Ancient Laws and Institutes of Wales, page 336:

     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.

   • 1898, J. Meade Falkner, Moonfleet Chapter 4

     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.

   • 2013 July-August, Henry Petroski, “Geothermal Energy”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 4:

     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.

2. (transitive, figuratively) To arouse or inspire (a passion, etc).

   He kindled an enthusiasm for the project in his fellow workers.

3. (intransitive, figuratively) To begin to grow or take hold.
   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, London: A[ndrew] Millar, OCLC 928184292:

     The doctor now interposed, and prevented the effects of a wrath which was kindling between Jones and Thwackum […]

Synonyms

• (to start a fire): ignite
• (to arouse): arouse, inspire

Antonyms

• (to start a fire): douse, extinguish
• (to arouse): dampen

Translations

to start (a fire)

• Arabic: شَعَّلَ‎‎ (šaʿʿala)
• Armenian: վառել (hy) (vaṙel), արծարծել (hy) (arcarcel)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 點燃 (zh), 点燃 (zh) (diǎnrán), 點火 (zh), 点火 (zh) (diǎnhuǒ)

• Czech: zažehnout pf, zapálit (cs) pf
• Danish: tænde, fænge
• Dutch: aansteken (nl)
• Esperanto: ekbruligi, fajrigi
• Finnish: sytyttää (fi)
• French: allumer (fr)
• German: anzünden (de), entfachen (de)
• Greek: ανάβω (el) (anávo)

  Ancient: αἴθω (aíthō)

• Hungarian: meggyújt (hu)
• Ido: acendar (io)
• Irish: fadaigh, adhain
• Italian: accendere (it)

• Japanese: 点じる (てんじる, tenjiru), 点ずる (てんずる, tenzuru), 点火する (ja) (てんかする, tenka-suru), 引火する (いんかする, inka-suru)
• Korean: 불붙이다 (bulbutida)
• Maori: tungi, tutungi, tungitungi, maina, tahu, whakakā
• Ngazidja Comorian: upatsa
• Old English: ǣlan
• Persian: افروختن‎‎ (fa) (afrōxtan), روشن کردن‎‎ (fa) (rowšan kardan)
• Portuguese: acender (pt)
• Romanian: a ațâța
• Russian: разжига́ть (ru) impf (razžigátʹ), разже́чь (ru) pf (razžéčʹ), зажига́ть (ru) impf (zažigátʹ), заже́чь (ru) pf (zažéčʹ), запа́ливать (ru) impf (zapálivatʹ), запали́ть (ru) pf (zapalítʹ), раста́пливать (ru) impf (rastáplivatʹ), растопи́ть (ru) pf (rastopítʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian: potpaliti (sh), zapaliti (sh)
• Sicilian: addumari (scn)
• Spanish: encender (es)
• Swedish: tända (sv)
• Venetian: inpiar (vec), inpiẑar, impisare
• Vietnamese: nhóm (vi)
• Walloon: esprinde, aloumer (wa)

to arouse

• Armenian: արծարծել (hy) (arcarcel)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 喚起 (zh), 唤起 (zh) (huànqǐ), 激起 (zh) (jīqǐ)

• Czech: zažehnout pf, podnítit pf
• Danish: vække (da), sætte i brand, ophidse
• Finnish: sytyttää (fi), kiihottaa (fi)
• French: exalter (fr), inspirer (fr), susciter (fr)
• German: entfachen (de)
• Greek: εξάπτω (el) (exápto), ανάβω (el) (anávo)

• Hungarian: feltüzel
• Italian: eccitare (it), infuocare, suscitare (it)
• Persian: برانگیختن‎‎ (fa) (barangixtan)
• Portuguese: inspirar (pt), suscitar (pt)
• Russian: разжига́ть (ru) impf (razžigátʹ), разже́чь (ru) pf (razžéčʹ), зажига́ть (ru) impf (zažigátʹ), заже́чь (ru) pf (zažéčʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: beothaich
• Serbo-Croatian: zapaliti (sh)
• Swedish: tända (sv), väcka (sv)

Related terms

• enkindle
• kindling
• rekindle

Anagrams

• Kindel, delink, dinkle, inkled, kilned, klined, linked