ember

Meanings

Noun

• A glowing piece of coal or wood; a hot coal.
• Smoldering ash.

Adjective

• Making a circuit of the year or the seasons; recurring in each quarter of the year, as certain religious days set apart for fasting and prayer.

Origin

• From Middle English embre, eymbre, aymer, eymere, emeri, from Old English ǣmyrġe, from Proto-West Germanic *aimuʀjā, from Proto-Germanic *aimuzjǭ, a compound of *aimaz + *uzjǭ. The latter is from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ews- ("to burn"). The b is intrusive and was added in English for ease of pronunciation when the vowel of the second syllable (y) disappeared.
• See also Old High German eimuria, Danish emmer, Swedish mörja.
• From Middle English embryne, from Old English ymbryne, equivalent to umb- + run.