lucifer

1 9.9

A thin wooden match used to light candles or small fires

noun
/ˈluːsɪfər/

Archaic

: fósforo

To start the campfire, he struck a lucifer against the rough surface of the box.
light a lucifer

Examples

When it came time for me to take my bearings again, the gloom was so intense that I could not see the face of the compass or the brass dials of the musopticon, and had to light a lucifer match to be able to read them.

Fiction book (1998)
In the dim light of the cabin, she lit a lucifer to find her way.
He carefully took a lucifer from the pack to ignite the birthday candles.

Synonyms

match

vslucifer

188 1.0

A small stick with a tip that catches fire when struck

is a specific old-fashioned type of this small fire starter ignited by friction

safety match

vslucifer

1 2.8

A thin wooden or cardboard stick that lights only when struck on the box's rough strip

is older and ignites by any friction, not restricted to special surfaces

friction match

vslucifer

1 5.8

A small wooden stick with a tip that lights when you strike it on something rough

is an older form described as a thin stick ignited by friction

Surface Forms

lucifer singular

lucifers plural

Etymology

Lucifer comes from the Latin word lucifer, which means 'light-bringer' and is made of luc- 'light' and fer 'to bring'. So a lucifer is literally a little 'light-bringer', an old name for a small match.