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Glite Dictionary
touchwood

touchwood

1 9.9
Dry wood used to start a fire
  • noun
  • /ˈtʌtʃwʊd/
  • Archaic
: yesca
  • We used touchwood to ignite the flames for our camping stove.

Examples

  • Fawkes had a watch, touchwood and matches in his pocket.

  • Touchwood: A Collection of Ojibway Prose. Vizenor. (L. Owens) 14(2):186.

    Academic text (1992)

  • To start the fire, he gathered some dry touchwood and kindling.

  • Before lighting the bonfire, she made sure to collect enough touchwood to ensure it caught easily.

Synonyms

kindling
vstouchwood
16 2.2

Small dry sticks used to start a fire

is about decayed dry wood rather than small starter sticks
tinder
vstouchwood
6 4.5

Dry material that lights easily to start a fire

is specifically decayed dry wood used for starting fires
brushwood
vstouchwood
1 6.1

Branches and twigs from bushes that people use for fire or simple fences

is decayed dry material chosen for easy ignition rather than general branches
spunk
vstouchwood
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A dry material used to start a fire

is the common modern term for dry fire-starting wood
fatwood
vstouchwood
  • US
1 7.4

Pine wood full of sticky resin that people use to start fires

is ordinary dry decayed wood instead of resin-heavy starter pieces
matchwood
vstouchwood
1 8.2

Wood that people use to make matchsticks because it lights easily and burns evenly

is natural dry wood used whole to start fires rather than for matches
punk
vstouchwood
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A dry, spongy material used to start a fire

is drier decayed wood intended to catch sparks rather than burn slowly

How Flammable

gasoline
  • US
89 1.6
pyrogen
  • Specialized
1 9.9
kerosene
36 3.8
touchwood
  • Archaic
1 9.9
paper
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

touchwood singular
touchwoods plural

Morphology

touchwood = touch + wood (semi-transparent) = touch + wood

The components 'touch' and 'wood' are recognisable, but the specialised meaning 'tinder/dry combustible material' is somewhat archaic or domain-specific and not directly inferable by all learners.

Etymology

Touchwood comes from touch + wood and originally meant small, dry pieces of wood used as 'tinder' to start a fire, a simple place to 'touch' a spark so it would burn. So today touchwood still names dry wood that is good for lighting a fire.