amadou

Meaning

A spongy, flammable substance prepared from bracket fungi, formerly used as a styptic and as tinder.

Synonyms

punk

touchwood

tinder

hoof fungus

hoof tinder fungus

amadouvier

tinder polypore

touch wood

german tinder

spunk

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈæ.mə.duː/

Etymology

From French amadou (“tinder, lure, bait”), from amadouer (“to allure, caress”), perhaps from Icelandic mata (“to feed”), which is akin to English meat.