kindle

See also: Kindle

English

WOTD – 3 October 2006

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɪndl/

• Audio (US)

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• Audio (AU)

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• Rhymes: -ɪndəl

Etymology 1

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, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), 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)
• Bulgarian: запалвам (bg) (zapalvam)
• Chinese:

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

• Cornish: dewi
• Czech: zažehnout pf, zapálit (cs) pf
• Danish: tænde, fænge
• Dutch: aansteken (nl)
• Esperanto: ekbruligi, fajrigi
• Finnish: sytyttää (fi)
• French: allumer (fr)
• Georgian: ანთება (anteba), დანთება (danteba), მოკიდება (moḳideba), აალება (ka) (aaleba)
• German: anzünden (de), entfachen (de)
• Greek: ανάβω (el) (anávo)

  Ancient: ἅπτω (háptō), 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 (bulbuchida)
• Latin: incendō, accendō (la)
• Maori: tungi, tutungi, tungitungi, maina, tahu, whakakā
• Ngazidja Comorian: upatsa
• Old English: ǣlan, onǣlan
• 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)
• Sanskrit: छर्दति (chardati)
• 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 (wa), aloumer (wa)

to arouse

• Armenian: արծարծել (hy) (arcarcel)
• Bulgarian: разпалвам (bg) (razpalvam)
• Chinese:

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

• Cornish: dewi
• Czech: zažehnout pf, podnítit pf
• Danish: vække (da), sætte i brand, ophidse
• Dutch: opwekken (nl), opwinden (nl)
• Finnish: sytyttää (fi), kiihottaa (fi)
• French: exalter (fr), inspirer (fr), susciter (fr)
• Georgian: აგზნება (agzneba)
• German: entfachen (de)

• Greek: εξάπτω (el) (exápto), ανάβω (el) (anávo)
• Hungarian: feltüzel
• Italian: eccitare (it), infuocare (it), suscitare (it)
• Old English: onǣlan
• 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)
• Sanskrit: छर्दति (chardati)
• Scottish Gaelic: beothaich
• Serbo-Croatian: zapaliti (sh)
• Swedish: tända (sv), väcka (sv)

Related terms

• enkindle
• kindling
• rekindle

Etymology 2

From Middle English kyndel, from kynde +‎ -le. The verb is derived from the noun form by conversion.

Noun

kindle (plural kindles)

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

   A kindle of kittens.

Hypernyms

• clowder, glaring

Translations

group of kittens

• Bulgarian: котило (bg) n (kotilo)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 窩 (zh), 窝 (zh) (wō)

• Dutch: nest (nl) n

• Finnish: kissapentue
• French: portée (fr) f
• Portuguese: please add this translation if you can

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  ...

   • 1601, Philemon Holland, The Historie of the World, commonly called the Naturall Historie (originally by Pliny the Elder)

     The poor beast had but lately kindled.

Translations

bring forth young

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 分娩 (zh) (fēnmiǎn)

• Dutch: werpen (nl)

• Finnish: synnyttää (fi)
• French: mettre bas (fr)
• Portuguese: please add this translation if you can

Adjective

in kindle (not comparable)

1. (of an animal) pregnant

Anagrams

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