Flint

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /flɪnt/

Definitions

1. A type of hard, sedimentary quartz rock often used historically to ignite fires ; a small rock fragment used in flintlock guns to produce sparks that ignite gunpowder ; a city in the state of Michigan known for its automotive history
2. A tough mineral composed of cryptocrystalline quartz commonly used to generate fire by striking ; a tiny stone striking tool in early firearms to create a spark for firing ; an industrial city located in the American Midwest
3. A sedimentary form of quartz utilized for making fire through spark generation ; a piece of rock employed in old firearms to ignite charge ; an urban area in Michigan with historical significance in manufacturing

Etymology: Flint is one of those English words whose meaning has barely moved in over a thousand years: it has always named a hard stone that splits into sharp edges. Its ancestry lies in an idea of splitting. The Proto-Indo-European root ""(s)plind-" meant "to split, cleave," and it shows up in Ancient Greek "plínthos," a brick or tile, and in Irish "slinn," meaning slate or shingle. The shared thread is material that breaks into flat, usable pieces. The Germanic branch took that root and produced ""flintaz," the ancestor of the word that reached Old English as "flint." Relatives across the North Sea and beyond carry the same stone-name: Dutch "vlint," German "Flins," and Danish "flint." Across these languages the word keeps pointing at the same thing, a pebble or cobblestone that knaps cleanly. In English, flint came into Middle English as "flynt" and "flint" and kept its concrete sense. Its usefulness is what made it famous: struck against steel, it throws off sparks, which is why the word also became the name of the tool used to light fires for centuries.

Synonyms: chert, spark

Antonyms: soft material