cinder
UK[ˈsɪndə(r)]US[ˈsɪndər]
n
a small piece of partly burned coal or wood that is no longer flaming but may still be hot.
n
a fragment of volcanic material, especially a small, light piece of porous lava.
Etymology
the word 'cinder' entered english from old english 'sinder', meaning slag or dross from metal. this old english term was borrowed from latin 'scindere', meaning 'to split' or 'to cleave', likely referring to the way slag splits off from molten metal. the semantic shift from metallic residue to burnt coal or wood ash occurred in middle english, influenced by the french word 'cendre' (ash). the modern sense of a hot, glowing remnant of combustion perfectly captures this etymological journey from a byproduct of splitting metal to a fragment of burnt matter.
Analysis
this word is a simplex form. it is a loanword from old english, derived from latin, with possible older indo-european connections. its form cannot be meaningfully segmented into productive morphemes in modern english.
Examples
she carefully brushed the last cinder from the fireplace into the ash pan.
the volcano erupted, spewing ash and glowing cinders high into the air.
after the campfire died down, we roasted marshmallows over the hot cinders.