Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To give birth to; bring forth, as young.
  • To bring forth young.
  • To set fire to; set on fire; cause to burn; light: as, to kindle tinder or coal; to kindle a fire.
  • To inflame, as the passions or feelings; rouse into activity; excite; fire: as, to kindle anger or wrath; to kindle love.
  • To move by instigation; provoke; incite; entice.
  • To light up; illuminate.
  • Synonyms To ignite, set fire to.
  • To awaken, stimulate, whet, foment, work up.
  • To take fire; begin to burn.
  • To begin to glow; light up; grow bright.
  • To begin to be excited; grow warm or animated; be roused.
  • noun Progeny; young.
  • noun A brood or litter.
  • To be with young: an English fanciers' term applied to rabbits.

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

  • verb obsolete To bring forth young.
  • transitive verb To set on fire; to cause to burn with flame; to ignite; to cause to begin burning; to start; to light.
  • transitive verb Fig.: To inflame, as the passions; to rouse; to provoke; to excite to action; to heat; to fire; to animate; to incite.
  • intransitive verb To take fire; to begin to burn with flame; to start as a flame.
  • intransitive verb To begin to be excited; to grow warm or animated; to be roused or exasperated.

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

  • noun obsolete A collective term for a group of kittens.
  • verb transitive To start (a fire) or light (a torch).
  • verb transitive, figuratively To arouse or inspire (a passion, etc).

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

  • verb catch fire
  • verb call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)
  • verb cause to start burning

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old Norse kynda

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Examples

Comments

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  • An ereader produced by Amazon, of which I'm skeptical

    November 20, 2007

  • Where the strong are not unseeing,

    And the harvests are not sere;

    Where, ere the seasons dwindle,

    They yield their due return;

    Where the lamps of knowledge kindle

    While the flames of youth still burn?

    - Edmund Clarence Stedman, 'Si Jeunesse Savait!'

    September 16, 2009

  • iPhone, App Store: I type "Kindle for iPhone" and among the search results, I find "Barnes and Noble eReader".

    How did they do it?, I wonder...

    And here's how. Below is part of the application description.

    "In short, we're not just a new chapter or a new stanza, we're a whole new story that's going to kindle a real revolution in reading."

    September 30, 2009

  • You've gotta wonder why Amazon decided on this idiotic name. When I link the word "kindle" with books, I think of Nazis and book-burning. Is the idea that our old-fashioned paper books can now be used as kindling? Marketing morons.

    September 30, 2009

  • You know, rolig, I've been wondering the same thing. For a long time now.

    October 1, 2009

  • the reason kindle is on my list Fantastic Cats!, Open List is because a kindle is a litter of kittens

    June 17, 2012