vuurhoutjie
Afrikaans edit
Etymology edit
Compound of vuur (“fire”) + houtjie (“little stick/piece of wood”). Some Dutch dictionaries from around 1900 mention Dutch vuurhoutje, although there are few attestations from this period that don't clearly relate to southern Africa. The word was therefore likely formed in Afrikaans.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
vuurhoutjie (plural vuurhoutjies)
- A match, a matchstick.
Usage notes edit
When vuurhoutjie is the first, or at least non-final, element of a compound, the form is usually vuurhout.