From Old Norse 'kynda' (to light a fire) — both literal and figurative senses present since Middle English.
To set fire to; to light a fire; to arouse or inspire an emotion or feeling.
From Middle English 'kindlen,' from Old Norse 'kynda' (to kindle, to light a fire), from Proto-Germanic '*kundijaną' (to set fire to), possibly from PIE *ǵen- (to beget, to produce) or from a root meaning 'to ignite.' The figurative sense — 'to kindle enthusiasm,' 'to kindle hope' — appeared early, treating emotion as fire to be lit. Amazon chose the name 'Kindle' for its e-reader to evoke 'the crackling of knowledge being ignited.' Key
Amazon named its e-reader 'Kindle' in 2007 because, as founder Jeff Bezos explained, they wanted to evoke 'the crackling ignition of knowledge.' The word's Old Norse origin 'kynda' (to light a fire) perfectly captures the metaphor: reading kindles the mind. The figurative use of 'kindle' for emotions predates the literal device by 800 years — Chaucer wrote of kindling
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