Tinderbox
/ˈtɪn.dərˌbɒks/noun
A small container holding tinder and materials used for starting a fire.
Did you know?Tinderboxes commonly held char cloth, flint, and steel, turning fire-making into a portable technology centuries before the match.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*tendʰ-
“To kindle or cause to burn; the reconstructed root behind tinder-related Germanic forms”
Early Germanic
Germanic
*tundrą
“Material used for kindling fire”
Old English
Old English
tynder
“Tinder or easily ignited material”
Ancient Greek
Greek
pyxos
“Boxwood; the hard wood traditionally used for small boxes”
Latin
Latin
buxis
“A box, especially one made of boxwood”
Middle English
English
tinder box
“A box for keeping tinder and fire-making tools”
Modern English
English
tinderbox
“A container for tinder, flint, and steel, and figuratively a situation ready to ignite”