Etymology

kindle

K5I1N1D2L1E1

Today it means: To start (a fire) or light (a torch, a match, coals, etc.). Full definition →

Middle English kyndelen ← Old Norse kynda ← Proto-Germanic *kundijaną
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kindle · verb1

  1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*kundijaną
  2. Old Norse · derived fromkynda“to inflame”
  3. Middle English · inherited fromkyndelen
  4. English todaykindle

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

kindle · noun, verb, adjective2

  1. Middle English · inherited fromkyndel
  2. English todaykindle

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

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.