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Added 10 October 2026

smolder

/ˈsməʊldə(ɹ)/ noun

Categories: ActionsRare Words

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about smolder at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. A fire that burns with thick smoke but no flame.
    the smoulder suddenly became a blaze

verb

  1. Burn slowly and without a flame.
    a smoldering fire
  2. Have strong suppressed feelings.

Origin

From Middle English smolderen (“to suffocate, stifle”), from Middle English smolder (“smoke, smoky vapour”), ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *smolōn (“to burn, glow, fume, smoulder”). Related to Proto-West Germanic *smallijan (> English smell).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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