Dictionary

matchstick en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈmætʃstɪk/ (Canada, US)

Etymology

From match + stick.

Meanings

1. A small, slender piece of wood or cardboard serving as a component of a match.
   • A piece of wood or cardboard becomes a matchstick once the end has been dipped in a sulfurous compound to turn it into a complete match.
   • Local workers hike up the side of the mountain and down into the crater at the top to harvest its sulfur—a byproduct of the gas that escapes from the volcano’s vents and collects near the shores of an acidic lake at the crater’s center. The chemical is used in industry worldwide, from making matchsticks to vulcanizing rubber, but Ijen’s sulfur goes mostly to local factories, which use it to bleach sugar. 2015 February 25, Kevin McElvaney, “Inside Indonesia's Ijen Volcano”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 06 Mar 2016:
   • Holonym: match
2. (in-plural) Any similarly small and thin piece.
   • The explosion blew the powder shed to matchsticks.

Forms

Relateds

matchbook · matchhead · matchcover · matchbox

Synonyms

sliver · shred · splinter

Translations (61)

sv tändsticka (piece of wood) · hi माचिस (piece of wood) · sk zápalka (piece of wood) · pl zapałka (similar small and thin piece) · ar كِبْرِيتَة (piece of wood) · km ឈើគូស (piece of wood) · sh šȉbica (piece of wood) · ar وَقِيد (piece of wood) · hi दियासलाई (piece of wood) · ar عُود ثِقَاب (piece of wood) · bg кибри́т (piece of wood) · pl zapałka (piece of wood) · ka ასანთი (piece of wood) · vi diêm (piece of wood) · fa-ira کِبْریت (piece of wood) · da tændstik (piece of wood) · ru спи́чка (piece of wood) · cs sirka (piece of wood) · sl vžigalica (piece of wood) · uk сірни́к (piece of wood) · mk шкорче (piece of wood) · ga cipín solais (piece of wood) · ota كبریت (piece of wood) · de Zündholz (piece of wood) · mfe zalimet (piece of wood) · is eldspýta (piece of wood) · ar وَقِيدة (piece of wood) · pt palito de fósforo (piece of wood) · ko 성냥 (piece of wood) · ar كِبْرِيت (piece of wood) · ga cipín (piece of wood) · ar شَخَّاطَة (piece of wood) · sw kijiti cha kiberiti (piece of wood) · te అగ్గిపుల్ల (piece of wood) · nan-hbl 番仔火 (piece of wood) · ar ثِقَاب (piece of wood) · hu gyufaszál (piece of wood) · fr allumette (piece of wood) · fi tulitikku (piece of wood) · yue 火柴 (piece of wood) · mk чкорче (piece of wood) · ar عُود كِبْرِيت (piece of wood) · ja マッチ (piece of wood) · tr kibrit (piece of wood) · az kibrit (piece of wood) · cmn 火柴 (piece of wood) · cpx 火拭枝 (piece of wood) · nl lucifer (piece of wood) · vi que diêm (piece of wood) · ar شَحّاطَة (piece of wood) · ga lasán (piece of wood) · hy լուցկի (piece of wood) · cs zápalka (piece of wood) · sh ши̏бица (piece of wood) · de Streichholz (piece of wood) · be запа́лка (piece of wood) · prs کِبْرِیت (piece of wood) · es fósforo (piece of wood) · ml തീപ്പെട്ടി (piece of wood) · cpx 火挩枝 /火捝枝 (piece of wood) · mk кибритче (piece of wood)