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cinder

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cinder¹

  • /ˈsɪndəː/ UK
  • [ˈsɪndəː] UK
  • /ˈsɪndɚ/ US
  • [ˈsɪ̟ndɚ] ~ [ˈsɪ̟ndɹ̩] US

Sounds like sender (pin–pen merger) · Rhymes with -ɪndə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

From Middle English cyndyr, syndir, synder, sinder, from Old English sinder (“cinder, dross, slag, scoria, dross of iron, impurity of metal”), from Proto-West Germanic *sindr, from Proto-Germanic *sindrą, *sindraz (“dross, cinder, slag”), from Proto-Indo-European *sendʰro- (“coagulating fluid, liquid slag, scale, cinder”). Cognate with Scots sinder (“ember, cinder”), West Frisian sindel, sintel (“cinder, slag”), Dutch sintel (“cinder, ember, slag”), Middle Low German sinder, sinter (“cinder, slag”), German Sinter (“dross of iron, scale”), Danish sinder (“spark of ignited iron, cinder”), Swedish sinder (“slag or dross from a forge”), Icelandic sindur (“scoring”), Old Church Slavonic сѧдра (sędra, “lime cinder, gypsum”). Spelling (c- for s-) influenced by unrelated French cendre (“ashes”). Doublet of sinter.

noun cinders · sinder

  1. Partially or mostly burnt material that results from incomplete combustion of coal or wood etc.; it often rides the rising smoke column into the air, and it can pose a fire hazard when it lands, in dry conditions. Travellers over the London & North Western main line in bygone days will need no reminder of the pattering of cinders on the carriage roofs, the fountains of sparks from the chimneys at night and the distance from which the exhaust of approaching locomotives could be heard, due to the fierceness of
  2. An ember. If from adown the hopeful chops The fat upon the cinder drops, To stinking smoke it turns the flame, Poisoning the flesh from whence it came
  3. Slag from a metal furnace.
  4. colloquial, dated Any strong stimulant added to tea, soda water, etc. Oh, horrid proposition! One would imagine, Tom, that you had been a coal-heaver. Had you said soda and cinder, I would have seconded the motion.

verb cinders · cindering · cindered · sinder

  1. transitive To reduce to cinders.

    Similar: burn away, cremate, burn, burn down, burn up, burn to a crisp, char up, cinder, combure, combust, forburn, forsweal

  2. transitive To cover with cinders. We plan to cinder this path.

Cinder²

Rhymes with -aɪndə(ɹ)

proper noun

  1. A river in Alaska.
  2. A female given name.

Translations

Every language

noun partially or mostly burnt material

Españolceniza, carbonilla, carboncillo
日本語燃え殻 moegara
中文煤渣 méizhā, 灰燼 /灰烬 huījìn, 餘燼 /余烬 yújìn
Portuguêsborralho, borralha
Françaiscendre
DeutschAsche
Italianocenere
Русскийзола́ zolá, пе́пел pépel
العربيةجَمْرُ مُنْطَفِيّ jamru munṭafiyy

noun slag from a metal furnace

Españolescoria
中文爐渣 /炉渣 lúzhā
Portuguêsescória
DeutschSchlacke, Zunder
Русскийшлак šlak, ока́лина okálina

verb to reduce something to cinders

Españolincinerar
Deutschverkohlen, verschwelen, einäschern
Русскийиспепелять ispepeljatʹ, сжига́ть sžigátʹ

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Cite this
MLA

"cinder." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/cinder. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

cinder. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/cinder

Chicago

"cinder." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/cinder.

BibTeX
@misc{cinder_2026,
  title = {cinder},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/cinder},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}