An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/zünden

by Friedrich Kluge

zünden, verb, ‘to take fire, set on fire, kindle,’ from Middle High German zünden, ‘to set on fire,’ Old High German zunten (from zuntjan), weak verb, ‘to kindle’; also in Middle High German zunden, ‘to burn, give light,’ Old High German zundên, ‘to be aflame, glow.’ Compare Gothic tundnan, ‘to be kindled,’ tandjan, weak verb, ‘to set on fire,’ Anglo-Saxon tyndan, Middle English tenden, English (dialectic) teend, tind, ‘to kindle,’ Old Icelandic tendra, Swedish tända, Danish tœnde. Middle High German zinden, strong verb, ‘to burn, glow,’ implies a Gothic strong verb *tindan; to this is allied Old High German zinsilo, masculine, zinsilôd, ‘fomes,’ zinsera, feminine ‘censer’ (not from Latin incensorium), and zinsilôn, ‘machinari.’ With Gothic tandjan, ‘to set on fire,’ are connected Old High German zantaro, Middle High German zander, ‘glowing coal,’ Old Icelandic tandre, ‘fire.’ The Teutonic root tand (Aryan dnt?, dndh?), ‘to burn,’ has no undoubted cognates in the non-Teutonic languages. — Derivative Zunder, Zundel, masculine, ‘tinder, touchwood, fuse,’ from the equivalent Middle High German zunder, masculine and neuter, Old High German zuntara, zuntra, feminine. Compare Low German tunder, Dutch tonder, Anglo-Saxon tynder, English tinder, Old Icelandic tundr, Swedish tunder, Danish tender. Forms with l also occur; compare Old High German zuntil, Middle High German zundel, zündel, masculine, ‘lighter, tinder’ (Modern High German proper name Zündel), Dutch tondel. From Teutonic is borrowed Old French tondre, ‘tinder.’