Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A small, glowing piece of coal or wood, as in a dying fire.
  • noun The smoldering coal or ash of a dying fire.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A small live coal, brand of wood, or the like; in the plural, live cinders or ashes; the smouldering remains of a fire.
  • noun Literally, a circuit; a course; specifically, a regular (annual, quarterly, etc.) course; the regular return of a given season: a word now used only in certain compounds, namely, ember-days, -eve, -fast, -tide, -week, and in the derivative embering. See the etymology.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A lighted coal, smoldering amid ashes; -- used chiefly in the plural, to signify mingled coals and ashes; the smoldering remains of a fire.
  • adjective Making a circuit of the year of the seasons; recurring in each quarter of the year.
  • adjective (R. C. & Eng. Ch.) days set apart for fasting and prayer in each of the four seasons of the year. The Council of Placentia [A. D. 1095] appointed for ember days the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the first Sunday in Lent, Whitsuntide, the 14th of September, and the 13th of December. The weeks in which these days fall are called ember weeks.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A glowing piece of coal or wood.
  • noun Smoldering ash.
  • adjective Making a circuit of the year or the seasons; recurring in each quarter of the year, as certain religious days set apart for fasting and prayer.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a hot fragment of wood or coal that is left from a fire and is glowing or smoldering

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English embre, from Old English ǣmerge.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Middle English ymber ("running around, circuit")

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Examples

  • Repeat until the spindle tip glows red and an ember is formed.

    Seven Ways To Light a Fire Without a Match 2006

  • The network searches for matches ranging from 'ember' to 'inferno' and lets you decide if you want to find an 'instant spark', 'eternal flame' or just someone you share common interests with.

    iac world news feed 2010

  • Instead all we know is that it is in a month ending "ember".

    Pocket-lint 2010

  • Uploaded: 2009-11-04 zao - "ember" @ the chapel in ft. walton beach, fl - 1998 thanks to everyone who has been digging this footage. just wanted to let you guys know that there is more where this came from, i have an entire show from a few months after this one ... with songs in their entirety. when i find it, i will be sure to post it up here for you guys.

    WN.com - Business News 2010

  • Drag to Playlist zao - "ember" @ the chapel in ft. walton beach, fl - 1998 thanks to everyone who has been digging this footage. just wanted to let you guys know that there is more where this came from, i have an entire show from a few months after this one ... with songs in their entirety. when i find it, i will be sure to post it up here for you guys.

    WN.com - Business News 2010

  • Instead all we know is that it is in a month ending "ember".

    Pocket-lint 2010

  • Ember: nine months old today and walking zao - "ember" @ the chapel in ft. walton beach, fl - 1998 thanks to everyone who has been digging this footage. just wanted to let you guys know that there is more where this came from, i have an entire show from a few months after this one ... with songs in their entirety. when i find it, i will be sure to post it up here for you guys.

    WN.com - Business News 2010

  • Chris Claremont and John Byrne raised a rag-tag group of mutants from a burning ember to an all-out firestorm that topped the world of comics.

    Marvel Solicitations for January 2008 | Major Spoilers - Comic Book Reviews and News 2009

  • Tychus took another drag, and the ember glowed like an orange eye.

    Starcraft II: Devils’ Due Christie Golden 2011

  • I searched the sand, looked for the ember but saw nothing.

    Cigarillo Shelagh Power-Chopra 2011

Comments

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  • "ember" in Hungarian means: human

    August 1, 2012